Seeking
by uscfbfan
Summary: Edward is a single father who is single handedly raising his daughter, seeking the perfect female. Bella is a little down on her luck seeking a job just like many other of the millions of job searchers. Nanny story, AH/AU D/s
1. Chapter 1

_**Seeking**_

**Summary: Edward is a single father who is single handedly raising his four-year-old daughter, who is seeking the perfect female. Bella is a little down on her luck seeking a job just like many other of the millions of job searchers out there. Maybe they are seeking each other. **

_AN: Okay - so I got this inspiration from a conversation my friends and I had one day about Craigslist. The two ads mentioned are actually posted on Craigslist, Edward's however I made up (I don't think I can get as creative as those people._

_Please read and tell me what you think._

_To all my faithful readers of The Storm and Once Upon A Time in Fiji - I will be updating those as well, I just wrote this as a quicky. Let me know if I should continue._

**BPOV**

I sat at the counter, drinking the last of my orange juice, staring at the pile of mail on the ground.

_This is fucking ridiculous. I'm twenty five years old! The mail is not the fucking boogeyman, _I told myself, _Maybe I should burn some sage to ward off the evil spirits._

I sighed, staring at the growing pile. _Maybe I should keep all these letters and burn it as kindling. _I was going to need it soon as a way to keep warm. I chuckled mirthlessly. I stared at the pile one more time and took a deep breath, it was time to put on my big girl panties.

I gathered up the mess, noting all the different color of envelopes. _Maybe it works like a traffic light, yellow means warning, red means stop._ I opened up the first one.

"Shit!"

The damn thing gave me a paper cut. It was official, my mail just tried to kill me. I could deal with the mounting bills later. Right now, I had to deal with work.

I pulled on my Keds and grabbed my apron for work. The Waffle House wasn't glamorous, and it barely paid the bills, but at least I was bringing in something.

When people talk about the American dream, most people conjures images of two story Cape Cod style homes with wrap around porches, picket fences, married with kids. Me, fuck, the American dream is just to find a job in the economy that has just tanked as I graduated college. Nobody was hiring a new grad without any experience when there were plenty of people with experience willing to work for the same pay.

I grabbed my laptop and keys and headed out the door. Just as I thought I would be able to make it without running into Mr. Reid, I heard his voice.

"Isabella, remember that your rent is due. You have two days to pay until it is considered late and I wouldn't want to have to charge you the late fine plus fair market value."

"You'll have it within forty-eight hours!" I called back out to him, lying through my teeth. Tips at the restaurant were awful. People didn't seem to understand that you were working for a living too. I didn't expect huge tips, but I got stiffed more times than I care to count.

It was another slow day at Ray's and he had to cut shifts. I was the last one hired, meaning I was the first one to get cut. _Fabulous_. Ray took sympathy on me though and was letting me sit in the back corner booth, which was reserved for employees anyway, to mooch some food and to use their free Wi-Fi.

I took a sip of my Diet Coke and fired up my trusty Mac Book. It was a splurge when I was in college, and looking back, I realize now I could still be in possession of at least one more month of rent if I hadn't so recklessly spent my loan money. _At the time, it seemed like a good idea._

Ray came by, giving me a club sandwich that he had made, with fries on the side. I smiled at him.

"If you need anything else, let me know Bella. I feel bad about having to cut your shift again . . ."

I held my hand up to stop him. "Ray, I understand. I appreciate you letting me mooch like this. My internet was cut off last week. And I love working here, but I just don't have the hours."

"I understand Bella. We all have to look out for number one. Just be sure that if you find another job, just tell me, or give some notice. I'm not going to find anyone to replace you right now, but I would like to at least know that you are safe."

He turned, going back to the kitchen letting me peruse Monster and Careerbuilder at my leisure.

_You would think that a person with an associate's degree in early childhood education and a bachelor's degree in nursing would be able to find a job!_ Everything ad I clicked on though required experience for teaching. _I wasn't quite ready to go back to nursing yet._ My license had already lapsed for it anyway, and renewing my license would take money. Money that I just didn't have.

I felt someone slid up into the booth next to me.

"Hey Angela."

"I heard Ray had to cut your shift. That really sucks. A bunch of us are talking about going to a movie when we close up. I'll pay for you if you want to come. Some table just tipped me a twenty."

"No thanks. I have a major headache and need to go lie down. I just wanted to get some time in on the internet before heading back home." I knew that Angela was trying to save for her wedding. She wasn't in a much better boat than my financially anyway, so I lied.

"If you're sure. I have a couple of minutes. Do you want to laugh at the ads on Craigslist?"

"Huh?" I asked dumbly as I picked up my now cold fries.

"Sometimes when Ben and I get bored, we load up Craigslist and laugh at the personal ads that we find on there. We can get a good laugh for real cheap that way."

I smiled. "That sounds great Angela." I opened up Craigslist and opened up the casual encounters, seeing who had ads up. "Listen to this one. Headline - Wife hates oral."

"Either he really sucks at giving it, or she won't give it to him," Angela replied nonchalantly.

"He goes on to write: She still goes down on me, but she no longer wants or enjoys having me go down on her, so I find myself jonesing and really wanting/needing some pussy to lick and pet.

"Given my situation, I'm not too particular about race/age/status/looks, but hoping to find a "kindred spirit" who still enjoys, and appreciates a good licking, but does not want or have time for a "normal" relationship. If you're married too, then you might know what I'm talking about.....I don't really like the idea of cheating on my wife, but my sexual apetite is not being properly fed. So, I'm on here wondering if it is possible to find another, with similar feelings, who can have sex, enjoy it for what it is and not feel the guilt or expect more than it is....two people satisfying one another, helping one another through it all. Hopefully this could be more than a one time thing."

I finished, grabbing another handful of fries. Angela was shaking her head. "That douche bag wanted to cheat on his wife. Oral or not, oral sex is still sex," I said disgustedly as I threw down my fries, losing my appetite.

"There is a special place for him," Angela replied. She grabbed my Mac and loaded up the page. "Oh shit, listen to this one." She cleared her throat and pushed her glasses up on her nose. "Brilliant ass smacker seeking . . ."

I laughed immediately. God, some of these people could be so ridiculous. _Who the hell would want to have their ass smacked? I remember that shit hurting when I was young. Charlie never had to hit me, but damn, Phil put some power behind that belt. _

"Bella, shh . . . listen to the rest of this shit. He goes on to say 'I get the feeling that I'm somewhat unique,'"

"Unique good, or unique bad. That can be taken a bunch of different ways."

"Bella, shut up and let me finish. 'But, maybe not. You tell me. I'm extremely smart and highly educated. I'm very self-motivated I've started a few successful businesses. I tend to do whatever interests me at the time, whether it makes sense financially or not. My latest venture is not a money maker, but I've done well enough in the past to support this indulgence. I tell you this as a backdrop. What motivated me to post this ad has nothing to do with business or money. But you should know that I have a fairly normal entrepreneurial everyday life.

"I posted this because I'm looking for a particular type of woman. Like me, she'll be smart and educated and probably have a fairly normal everyday life too. She might even be married or in a stable relationship. She'll be sexually submissive or even submissive in life as well. I don't like labels. I don't call myself a dom. I don't have BDSM friends or subscribe to some D/s philosophy. In everyday life I'm easy-going and laid back. I enjoy good friends, fine foods and a good laugh. I wear normal casual clothes. I don't have any leather outfits with chrome studs. However, in the bedroom I prefer to enjoy a girl dominantly. Often that means playing roughly--pulling her hair, twisting her nipples, slapping her ass (and other places as well,) rough penetration, maybe making her do embarrassing things, and generally treating her as if she's consented to be my personal sexual playground...which she has, because I would never do any of those things without first discussing them with the girl and gaining her consent to do them. This is a big deal to me. I'm not abusive. I just prefer to express my sexuality in a particular way," she continued to read.

"I'm looking for a girl that prefers the type of sexual interactions I've just described. She'll crave being commanded, smacked, tossed around, pinned down or tied up, and played with roughly. Physically, she's likely to be much smaller than me (6', 170#) and likely to be 25-35 + or -. Maybe she's thought about this but never done it."

I was squirming in my seat. "Who the hell would think about doing that kind of shit? I mean the guy is probably ugly as sin and I would probably have to wear a blindfold just to get through sex with him."

"I don't know Bella. Sometimes Ben and I like to be a little bit rough."

I started coughing on my Diet Coke. I never really considered that kind of stuff. I had one serious boyfriend all throughout college. I thought he was the one, but apparently not. Jake left me with one semester left of my associate's degree stating that he could no longer handle my "emotional baggage."

I sighed, pushing away all thoughts of Jake. Sex with him was boring anyway. I was much better off without him.

"Earth to Bella!"

"Sorry Ange, I was lost in thought," I glanced at my watch. It was four o'clock. I had a meeting with my psychiatrist at five thirty. "Anyway, what were you saying?"

"I was saying that you should check Craigslist for a job. They are a little unconventional, but most of them pay decently. My friend, Lauren, found a temp job as a secretary for a law firm on the bay. It paid her really well."

"Thanks Ange, I'll do that." I watched her walk away as I clicked out to the casual encounters section. Maybe I could find something a little less conventional in the childcare section. I didn't want to teach in a classroom, but maybe I could be a nanny.

I clicked on the first ad I saw.

_Seeking . . . _

Seemed intriguing. I don't know what I was thinking, but something about this ad called out to me. I quickly wrote out an email, pressing send before I could think otherwise. I shut down my laptop thinking about all the things my shrink would say about my actions today.

**EPOV**

_Damn Emmett and his ideas._ I stared at my inbox trying to figure out what to do. I needed a nanny for Juliette, but I also needed someone for me. Someone who would fit into my lifestyle. I needed a new nanny and a submissive at the same time.

Then my fucking brother had a great idea: post an ad for a nanny and no-strings attached sex. At first I thought he was a being a little ludicrous, but it seemed to make sense . . . last night . . . after another crying round with Juliette . . . after three fingers of scotch . . .

.Life. There were 125 emails, each one responding to my ad on Craigslist.

As I said it seemed like a good idea last night. Searching my brain, I finally remembered what I titled the ad. I clicked on the ad, looking at my tipsy writing.

_Seeking . . ._

_I honestly don't know why I am posting on a free website like Craigslist, but I thought I would give_

_this a chance. I'm looking for a woman who can fulfill all the needs of a household._

_I am seeking a full-time live in nanny for my daughter. Duties would include_

_some light housekeeping, escorting my daughter to different play dates and lessons. But_

_that is not all I am seeking. I am seeking someone who can satisfy me as well. _

_You would not just be the nanny. Serious inquires only._

I slapped myself on the forehead. _Never ever will I listen to Emmett again._ At least I wasn't stupid enough to put my cell number or address on there. All the emails were going through their anonymous account. Oh well. What's done is done. Maybe I could find someone decent in all of this. If not, I would just call up the nanny agency next week for a replacement for Jane and then call up Aro for a replacement for Charlotte. Things could easily be fixed.

After an hour of deleting most of the 125 no 137 emails that flooded my inbox, I was at my wits ends. None of these women were right for Juliette and me. Emmett's idea was definitely stupid. _Never ever will I drink and listen to Emmett again._

I opened up another email, hoping it would be different.

_To whom it may concern:_

_I am very interested in your proposition. This seems to be an interesting_

_proposal that I would like to explore further with you. As for me,_

_well, what can I say. I have two years experience as a nanny, and I'm only_

_leaving that position because the family is moving - and my family is here. This was a live_

_in position as well, just without the added perks. Please contact me at your earliest_

_convenience._

_Victoria Reynolds - 777-432-0001_

This one didn't seem that bad. I would just have to make sure that she would be okay with the D/S lifestyle. I quickly wrote her name and number down. I refreshed the page and gave her a call for a preliminary interview.

The next email caught my eye as well.

_Dear Sir,_

_I have never replied to anything like this before, but I figured nothing ventured,_

_nothing gained. A little bit about myself. My name is Isabella Swan, but many call me Bella._

_I hope that you would call me this to, as I would be living in your home, we should be_

_comfortable. I just graduated Golden Gate Community College with an associate's in_

_early childhood education, however have no previous experience. I also have_

_my bachelors in nursing, however am no longer practicing. _

_I understand the cliché of the nanny and her boss, and believe that it is rather_

_smart of you to address it at the get go. I suppose if there is no Madame, then_

_I would be okay with the proposal in theory. _

_Let's see, to describe myself, I'm five feet four inches tall with dark brown eyes._

_I'm not what you would consider hot, by no means, and I think I am rather plain._

_I know, beyond a doubt, that I could take care of your child's needs, however_

_I'm not completely sure of yours. I would like to meet with you in person at your_

_convenience to discuss the position at length. I have attached my resume for your review._

_Bella Swan - 777-231-0008_

I picked up the phone and dialed. For some reason, I was intrigued by Bella Swan.


	2. Chapter 2

_**Chapter Two**_

**EPOV**

_What the hell was I thinking?_ _A nanny as well as a submissive? Jasper told me I should try to have it all, but I don't think that this is what he was thinking when he made the suggestion. He was going to have a field day with this at our next session._

I sighed, what was done, was done. I could easily just interview these women and fix the mess I had found myself in by not hiring them. I ran my hands through my hair again, checking my watch.

Victoria's interview was today at four, Isabella's was tomorrow morning before my shift at the hospital. Emmett suggested that I look at this as two different interviews - a two-part interview if you will; one for the nanny position, the other for the submissive position.

_What the fuck was I thinking?_

"Daddy?"

I looked up and saw Juliette dancing in the middle of my doorway, my mother was standing behind her, frowning ruefully.

"Sorry Edward, I know you are busy. Juliette insisted on coming up and saying goodbye before she leaves for the weekend." My mother looked up at my while trying to wrangle in my daughter. Juliette hasn't had one stable female role model with the exception of my mother. Her nanny's were a revolving door and Mrs. Cope was more of a grandmother type figure than a strong female role model.

"I will always have time for my baby," I replied, standing up to catch my progeny. She had striking green eyes, which she inherited from me and dark brown hair that came from her mother. She was the most gorgeous child that God had ever put on this planet. I may be a little bias, but that is a father's prerogative.

Juliette flung herself into my arms, squealing as I caught her. She planted a sloppy kiss on my cheek before burying her head into the crook of my neck.

"Daddy, can I stay wif you fis weekend?"

_Twist that knife into my heart just a little bit deeper why don't you. _I sighed, stroking her hair. "Baby, I wish you could, but your mommy and Nana Rachel want to see you too. I have to work all weekend long, and I have to share you. You remember what Miss Rosalie said don't you?"

"We are 'posed to share," she said. "But Daddy, it's boring over there! Mommy never wants to play wif me."

I gritted my teeth, holding back all the derogatory words I had running around in my head. I heard my mother tsk as she took Juliette from my arms. She gave me a peck on the cheek. "Edward it is only two more months until we can get the case re-evaluated. I need to you have patience."

I nodded, handing Juliette back over to my mother. I watched as they left, feeling the familiar ache in my heart as they left the driveway. I needed to pull myself together and drive to the restaurant where I would be conducting the first interview.

As I drove to Ray's Diner - a small but quaint diner ran by a local friend - I thought about Leah. I never loved her. We met at one of the local D/s clubs when we were both just dabbling in it. We played for a couple of weekends, and nothing clicked. I dove further into the lifestyle, and I didn't hear from Leah again until a year later. She had fallen into some trouble and needed a place to stay. I didn't hesitate. Then one evening, three bottles of wine later, Juliette was conceived. I was in my last year of my residency and I was scared shitless and excited all at once. Then the bitch wanted to terminate my baby. I threatened her, and she threatened to expose my lifestyle, but in the end, we both cooled down and came up with a compromise. She would carry Juliette to term, and I would take care of law school for her.

I thought Leah would sign away her parental rights like we had agreed upon, however she changed her mind and fought for custody when Juliette was a year old. I fought back. Leah was unstable. She had flunked out of law school and was heavily using drugs. She was supposedly clean now, and the judged wanted Leah to have a chance to be a mother - meaning she got supervised visitation with my mother, her mother, and herself every other weekend.

Juliette hated going.

I hated Leah for doing this to her. We were fine without her. _For the most part._

Juliette was devastated when Camille, her last nanny left. Camille had been around ever since Juliette was a baby. But, Camille had gotten custody of her sister's children after she had died in a car accident and she had to focus on her nieces now.

I glanced down at my watch. Five o'clock.

Victoria had made an appointment for six o'clock today.

Isabella was scheduled for tomorrow at ten in the morning.

All day, I waited for an email to appear telling me that I was off my rocker, and that there was no way in hell they were going to show up. It would be so much easier. But, as the time ticked closer, I knew that she was coming.

Right at five o'clock, I looked toward the door, and sure enough there was a red-haired woman standing at the door, speaking with the hostess.

She was dressed in a pair of jeans that seemed to be painted on, a tiny white tank top, which was covered by a red ill-fitting blazer. Clothes aside though, she did have a nice figure, and seemed to be fairly young.

_Maybe she was just trying hard to impress you . . ._ I tried to keep an open mind as the woman sauntered her way through the restaurant. She accidently ran into a server, knocking the poor thing to the ground; she didn't even bother to help her up. I shook my head at her manners. This was strike one. _How could a woman who didn't understand manners teach my four year old proper manners? _However, I stood to introduce myself.

"I'm assuming you are Victoria Reynolds," I assumed as she shook my hand.. I pulled out her chair for her, helping her take her seat. _My mother did raise me to be a gentleman._

"You assume correctly," she replied almost immediately, placing her napkin in her lap. "How can I be of service to you?"

The double entendre was not lost on me. I shook my head, wondering if this was the type of woman I wanted to bring into my household; and more importantly, around my daughter.

_Of course, what kind of people did you think you were going to find when you placed an ad on something like Craigslist._

I willed my conscience to shut up for a couple of minutes as I tried to conduct the interview.

"So, Ms. Reynolds . . ."

"Please call me Vicki, I'm sure we will be getting to know each other quite well."

I nodded, and started again, addressing her the way she preferred. "So, tell me a little bit about yourself."

"I have been working as a nanny for several years now, since I graduated from college. My first employer was a family that relocated to Florida after six months, and I have been with the Wexler's for two years before Colonel Wexler got transferred to Germany. I wasn't going to uproot and leave my family behind, so here I am trying to find another job."

"How long ago did you graduate college?" I asked trying to figure out this woman's age.

"Let's see, I started right after high school, and that was in 2004, I graduated with my associates in Early Childhood education in 2006. I have worked in a daycare. I have even worked very _closely_ with the fathers from the daycare from time to time."

"I nodded, absorbing the information. She held up a pack of cigarettes, I'm going to take a smoke break, do you mind?"

I shook my head, watching her leave the restaurant, thankful for the breather. I looked at my watch, noticing it was only 5:20. We had only been here for twenty minutes, and it felt like two hours.

She came back several minutes later, pulling her hair back. I now understood why she had struck me as older, considering her smoker status. That was strike two in my mind. I didn't want smokers in my house or around Juliette.

"So, Mr. Cullen, where were we. I suppose we should talk about _aspects _of this job, should we not?" Victoria asked me in a deep tone.

I suppose her voice was supposed to come off a sultry, but it honestly did nothing for me. I didn't want to dismiss her so quickly though, she could be a great nanny for Juliette, as long as we could come to terms with the smoking bit. I could always satisfy my needs by finding a new submissive the more traditional route.

"Well Ms. Reynolds, the primary purpose for this job is to fulfill a live in position of sorts. I'm a single father, raising my child on my own. Her mother is no longer in the picture, however has supervised visitations every other weekend. I'm looking for a live in nanny, as well as someone who can provide some light housework and some cooking."

Victoria smiled, wrapping her lips around the water glass, indulging in another drink. "I have done all this before. I was the live-in nanny for the Wexler's."

"I read all of your references and the Wexlers' were very praising of the level of work you did for them. They said that you were one of the best nannies that they had ever hired. Why do you want to work for me?"

"Well Mr. Cullen you add intrigued me. I believe that I could be a service of both to you and to your child," she said seductively. Her hand snaked out underneath the table, and she started rubbing her bright red nails up my thigh. I moved her hand quickly away and pinched the bridge of my nose. This interview was definitely not going well.

_Damn you Emmett!!_

I sighed and closed my eyes pondering what to do. Just then, the server came up.

"Hi, I'm Isabella, I'll be taking care of you tonight. I see that you already have some water. Can I offer you anything else to drink?" Her innocent voice flooded my senses. I snapped my head up and was immediately stunned by this woman's beauty. Sure, the woman sitting across from me was beautiful, but this creature was a gift from the gods.

She must have noticed me staring because she starting biting her lip.

_Gah!_

I shook my head quickly, dismissing all the thoughts that flew through my head.

"Where is our previous server? I believe her name was Angela," I asked her just a bit too sharply.

"She got called away on some family issues. If you would like another server, I'm positive I can get someone else." I heard the tremor in her voice and was guilt immediately washed over me. She turned away quickly.

I reached out and grabbed her hand to still her motions. _Fuck, I didn't mean to hurt her feelings._

"I'm sorry, I was just inquiring. I had a rough morning with my daughter," I apologized quickly. "I'm sure you will do a fantastic job." I gestured to Victoria, silently asking her to proceed with her drink order. I ordered a beer to help settle my nerves, smiling gently at the server. She smiled back, telling us she would have our drinks right out to us, leaving us to study the menu.

After a couple minutes, Victoria set down her menu and looked up at me seductively. "I didn't like the way our waitress was looking at you."

I looked at her, quirking up an eyebrow.

"I mean, here we are trying to get to know one another, and here she is flirting with you."

Victoria was definitely coming off too strong for my liking. I shook my head. "I believe Isabella is just doing her job Vicki. And speaking of jobs, I just don't think that this will be the right position for you . . ."

"But . . ."

I held up my hand to forestall her. "Ms. Reynolds, I am looking for someone who can be a positive role model for my child and someone who can fulfill the role as a submissive," I said in my "dom" voice as Jasper would call it. "I'm sorry, I just don't think you are cut out for the position. Now, we can enjoy the rest of dinner if you would like."

Dinner was finished rather quickly, and I dismissed Victoria as I waited for the check. The interview was a complete disaster, and I think disaster was too nice of a word for the way that interview went.

The server came by handing me the check. "Ray said for me to tell you that your money still isn't good here."

I smiled. "Tell Ray that it was a business expense," I told her as I handed him my credit card.

"I don't want to get fired, sir," Isabella tried to explain to me.

"You won't. Ray and I have gone back years. Please Isabella, just ring up the check."

"Yes Sir."

My cock twitched at the sound of her voice calling me Sir. It had been almost six months since I had been able to engage in any kind of activities. I bit back a groan as she innocently leaned over, giving me a view of her breast inadvertently.

"I'll be right back."

She wandered away tripping on the carpet. I smiled ruefully at her innocence. _And God help me I wanted her._

While I was waiting for the check, I checked my Blackberry, confirming the time that I would be meeting the final candidate for Juliette's nanny position.

Tomorrow, Bella Swan, 9:00 at Pacific View Park.

The server came back, placing the check down on the table. She quickly cleared the table, giving me a whiff of vanilla. I couldn't decipher if it was her, or a scent that she had delicately put on this morning. I noticed that she only wore a hint of makeup and that she was completely gorgeous. She left, leaving me with a sense of longing.

_I needed a new submissive now._

I threw two twenties on the table for her tip, knowing that it was double to cost of our meal, but Victoria had been exceptionally cruel to her during dinner, so it only seemed fitting that she would be rewarded for her patience.

I headed out of the Ray's, smiling at him trying to get ready for the next interview.

_BPOV_

_What the hell was I thinking?_

Before I could over think the situation, I hit the send button.

I hit my head against the table, wondering what the fuck I just did. Angela came and sat down beside me, bringing me a Diet Coke and some fries.

"So what has caused you to try to give yourself a concussion?" Angela asked as she grabbed a handful of nachos.

"I think in my desperation, I have applied for some crazy nanny position."

"Bella, that's great, you can be using your degree to some extent . . ."

"It's not just a nanny position, it's a little bit more than that."

I took a sip of my Diet Coke and divulged the information about the job. Angela sat back looking at me.

"It just seems like the perfect solution for all this shit that is going on with the bills and rent. Let's face it Ange, ever since Jake moved out taking his portion of the rent with him, I have been struggling to survive in a rent controlled situation. I'm going to be homeless in the next three days . . ."

"Bella, your right, it seems like the perfect situation right now. I know the sex partner thing might seem a little off, but I mean most nannies end up sleeping with their bosses right? I mean just as long as you are consenting and he is consenting, then there is nothing really wrong with that, is there."

"Nope . . . It just seems a little weird you know."

"Maybe, but then again, you did apply for the job. If he calls you for an interview, then entertain it. You can always say no if it makes you uncomfortable. And whatever you do, make sure that you meet him in a really public place. You never know what kind of sickos that you will meet on the internet."

We cleaned up, and as I was cleaning up, I received a call from Edward Cullen. He was calling me about the email that I sent him about the ad. I arranged to meet him at Pacific View Park, wondering what the hell I've gotten myself into this time.

I went to work the next morning, after taking a cold shower. The electricity had gotten cut off, leaving me without any hot water. I took the shower as quick as I could, only using what little shampoo I could. I pulled my wet hair back and grabbed my sensible Keds. They were wearing thin in the soles, but there was no way I could indulge in getting a new pair of shoes right now.

I walked into work, after realizing the Beast would need a tank of gas. _This day couldn't get any better could it?_

I grabbed my apron and walked over to the hostess station to get my assignments.

"Bella, head up, look at table 14."

I looked to where Lauren suggested and noticed a gorgeous looking man staring off into space. He looked a little pained.

I watched as he ran his fingers through his hair, making his already gorgeous hair even more messed up.

"Damn Angela is one lucky waitress, why couldn't I get her section today?" Emily whined.

I shook my head as I took one last glance at the brownish-reddish-copper hair God that sat at table fourteen. I began to wait on my section when Ray came up and told me that Angela's mother had gone into labor.

"Bella, you get table 13 and 14, Lauren you get 10 and 12."

As I was walking through the restaurant to say hello to some regulars of mine, I was knocked off my feet by a red-headed woman. I shook my head as I pushed myself up. Another waitress, Tiana, came by and helped me brush off.

"I can't believe the nerve of some people," she cried out.

"It's alright. I fall over constantly, but at least this time I had help in the matter."

Tiana smiled and walked back over to her tables. "Hey Virgil!"

I walked over to my own tables and smiled at Peter and Charlotte. "How is Anna?" I asked them of their one year old daughter.

"She's doing good Bella. We will just have our regular."

I smiled at them, placing their regular order in with Ray. I looked over to table fourteen, noticing that the red-headed brat from earlier was seating next to the gorgeous man. I sighed, kicking myself for not even entertaining the fact that this man was single.

"All the good ones are taken . . ."

I made my way over to his table, taking their drink orders. The Adonis snapped at me, causing me to be a little taken back, but I was a professional damn it.

I continued to give them good service even when the re-headed bitch kept sending her food back because of something or another. About thirty minutes later, she was gone, and the Adonis was sitting alone.

"Hey Bella, tell Eddie that his money has never good here! I have known him since his father started bringing him here before Carlisle had to go to work. That family is a good family, Eddie will never have to pay anything while he comes here."

"All right Ray," I stopped his rant. I walked over to the table, and Eddie told me that he was going to pay anyway and assured me that I wasn't going to get fired. I smiled at the antics as I cleaned up the table. I smiled at him as he was leaving the restaurant.

I walked back over to the table and noticed that he had left me two twenties. I ran after him to tell him he obviously left me the wrong amount, but he was gone by the time I was able to run out the door. I groaned, not wanting to take his money, but then I realized that the Beast needed gas, and suddenly didn't feel so bad for taking his money. I needed to get to Pacific View Park tomorrow at 9 am and nothing was going to stop me from making it.

**AN: I hope you enjoyed it. Drop me a line . . . reviews rock my socks. **


	3. Chapter 3

_**Chapter Three**_:

_**AN: So you get spoiled because I played hooky from work today. Don't get too used to it . . . but I will try to update every story as I get inspired to write it.**_

_**Thank you to everyone who has reviewed and who has put this story on alert. Let's see if we can keep up that pace - us writers like to know there are people out there who are actually reading our bites of insanity.**_

_**Disclaimers: All original characters belong to Stephanie Meyer. Any character created by me is mine - I guess . . .**_

_**On to the story now:**_

BPOV:

_I stretched, and I tried to open my eyes, but I was greeted by darkness. I tried to move my arms, but found that they were bound above me with a soft, silky material._

"_Don't struggle Isabella, you said you wanted this," I heard his soft silky voice penetrate through the air._

_I could hear his breathing quicken, and I heard his soft footsteps move through the room, stopping by the side of the bed. I felt the bed dip with his weight. I felt his fingers skim the skin at the waistband of my jeans. My stomach fluttered with muscle contractions._

_I felt my breathing hitch as I felt his fingers brush the edge of my panties. I felt some hesitation on his part and I groaned at the loss of sensation._

"_Tell me you want this Isabella," he demanded._

"_I want this please, God I want this."_

_I felt him straddle me, his delicious weight surrounding me. His scent was all around me. It smelled heavenly, it smelled like coffee. . ._

Coffee??

The smell of coffee woke me up out of my deep slumber. I rolled over, only to be greeted by the hardwood floors that adorned the floors of Ben and Angela's apartment.

_What the fuck was I doing here?_

Oh yeah, that's right. After my shift at Ray's I returned home to find out that not only had my water been cut off, but that Mr. Reid had padlocked my apartment with a note saying that I could retrieve my items at a later date once my rent was caught up. I called Ben in my haste to find someplace to sleep for the night, and he readily agreed.

I shook the dream out of my head. _Gah, I haven't had a dream like that since high school. _The only reason why I was getting those dreams now must be because of the Craigslist ads that Ben and I had spent most of the night laughing about. One was particularly funny . . .

_Please put "I need it" in the subject of your reply so it will not be marked as SPAM. Thanks._

Serious replies only, please!

I know this is a long shot, but I'm a patient man.

I have experience giving you the discipline and spanking you need. And I know this is not necessarily a sexual encounter.

I'm willing to spend some time cultivating the trust we will need for us to do this. We can start with emails and chat about likes, dislikes. Limits and safe words. Maybe some roleplay.

Then we can move on to meeting for coffee or lunch. From there we will see where it goes.

But you need to know I don't expect anything physical (spanking or otherwise) right up front. I'm patient and can put the time into this that is needed so you feel comfortable with this.

I have done it before and I'm taking the long shot that this ad will eventually be answered by someone who NEEDS this in their life.

I am a discreet, attractive, professional, educated MWM.

I laughed, thinking about the last ad, knowing that it must have been on my mind when I went to bed. I sighed hoisting myself off the floor.

"Bella, I see you have made an acquaintance with the floor," Angela chuckled as she came over with a cup of coffee. "Ben called me last night to let me know that you were here. I laid out some clothes for you to use for your interview."

"Did you just get in?" I asked. She looked like she just walked in through the door, and she looked extremely tired . . . happy, but tired.

"Yeah, a couple of minutes ago. I started to brew some coffee for you and Ben."

"Thanks Angela. I'm sorry I had to crash here last night. How is your mom? How are the babies?"

"They are fine. I can't believe I'm an older sibling at twenty - five. I'm happy for my mom and Morgan. They deserve to have a family of their own. But, Bells, I'm kinda beat with having to stay up with my mom all night, and I'm gonna hit the sack now. I left out some clothes for your interview that you can have."

"Ange, you didn't have to do that."

"I know I didn't, but I did anyway. Good luck at the interview."

I watched as she made her way down the hall, leaving me to my thoughts. I was officially homeless with nothing but a beat up 1957 Chevy truck on it's last left of life and a Macbook computer to my name. I emptied out my apron to count my tips. I made a whopping $110 last night, enough to cover my gas in the Beast and food for the next couple of days. I looked down at the shoes that Angela left for me, I knew we weren't the same size. I shook my head, knowing that I needed to at least dress the part, so I sucked it up and went shopping for new shoes at payless.

Twenty dollars for new shoes + Forty dollars for gas = a very broke Bella

I made my way down the path to the bench in front of the slides, wondering if I was making the right decision. I glanced down at my watch, noting that it was almost 9:00, I took a deep breath wondering if I was ready. I needed this job . . . I needed something . . .

I sat down, pulling my skirt down to show some decency. I understood that I was interviewing not only for a nanny position, but as a sexual partner. _How the fuck do you dress for that?_

I started off into space, looking at everything, but not really noticing anything.

"Help!"

I shot up, working off of my nursing instinct, running to the sound of distress. Two play yards over, at the water feature, I noticed a frantic mother, screaming, and a child on the ground. I sprinted over assessing the situation.

"I'm a nurse, how can I help?"

The mother broke into sobs, and I took her son from her, noticing that the child was wet, and not breathing. I laid the child on the ground, checking for a pulse.

"Call 911!" I screamed to her, causing the mother to snap out of her shock.

I started rescue breathing, when I felt another person come up. _Holy shit, it was Eddie from last night. The Adonis, God's gift to woman kind . . .focus Bella, focus . . . _

"I'm a doctor, what do we have here?"

"Apparent drowning victim, no pulse, no active breathing," I replied. I was focused on the task at hand, which was saving this child's life.

"I'll start the compressions," he started off counting the compressions as I did the rescue breathing. After what seemed to be ten minutes, which I'm sure was only two-three minutes, the child began to cough, and he vomited all over me. I rolled him to his side, helping him clear the debris from his airway. The ambulance pulled up and the EMTs took over.

I stood taking in my appearance. _Shit, now there is no chance that I'll get the job._

I watched as the doctor briefed the EMTs and he helped the frantic mother in the ambulance. I went to the restroom to clean up, looking at my appearance in the mirror. I looked a mess. I took my hair down out of the pony tail I kept it in, trying to brush it out with my fingers. I ended up taking off the blouse that Angela loaned me, leaving me in my tank top. I pulled my cardigan out of my truck and went back down to the bench.

I saw the Adonis sitting on the bench, and I approached.

"Hi I'm Isabella Swan."

"Edward Cullen, and please don't call me Eddie like Ray does. He is the only person that I allow that luxury. " He handed me a bottled water. "I figured you could use one after the excitement."

I nodded, feeling a little parched now that I was coming off the adrenaline high.

"So you remember me from last night. I think you accidentally left two twenties on the table. I have some change if you would like it." _Please say no . . .please say no._ I reached for my purse. He reached out his hand, stilling my movements.

He shook his head. "No Isabella it wasn't a mistake. I left a nice tip because of my rudeness and Victoria's behavior. You earned every cent. So I take it you are my 9:00 interview for the nanny position." His silky voice cut through the morning air.

"That I am, and please, call me Bella, Dr. Cullen."

"Then call me Edward. May I say that you were fantastic out there. You handled that drowning victim fabulously. There shouldn't be any lasting effects since you were able to act so quickly."

I blushed at the compliment. "I was just acting on instinct. He must have fallen into the fountain when she wasn't looking. It just takes a split second for something like that to happen."

"So I was reviewing your resume and saw that you were a nurse . . . why aren't you doing that anymore, you are obviously good at reacting in a situation and keeping your calm."

I took in a deep breath. "I needed a change from nursing, and have always loved children. I got my degree in early childhood education. And to tell you the truth, this would be my first job in the field."

Edward nodded, taking it all in.

He stared out into the playground, running his hands through his hair.

"I need a nanny to start immediately," he told me. "I'm convinced that you are the woman for the job."

"Dr. Cullen, there are a lot of details to discuss . . ."

"Of course. The hours are erratic, secondary to the nature of my job, as was posted in my ad, it is a live in position. You will not have that much free time off, which is why I will compensate you handsomely. The pay is . . ."

"Dr. Cullen, before you talk about pay, we need to talk about the other part of your ad. I do not want to be paid for my 'services' to you. It would make me feel very prostitute like." I took a sip from my water bottle.

He laughed, grabbing my hand. "No Isabella, you won't be paid for that. In fact, there will be a second interview for the sexual aspect behind this position. I'm hoping that that aspect of the ad will be completely consensual. I never pay a woman for her submission. I wasn't looking for a prostitute when I placed the ad. It was poorly worded, and I apologize. However, the pay for the nanny position is $4k a month, but, if you do not think that it is enough, then we can discuss this at a later date."

_Holy shit! That is more than I got paid when I was a nurse._

I nodded my head agreeing to the pay.

"Dr. Cullen, before you hire me, especially considering the extracurricular activities that this position can entail, there is something you should know . . ."

I trailed off. I was getting ready to divulge my entire sexual history to a man who was essentially a stranger. This could be a deal breaker.

"Isabella, Bella . . . don't worry about the extracurricular activities -as you like to call it- I saw that you were a level headed woman who could handle emergencies that can happen. If you accept the position as Juliette's nanny, then that is what you will always be."

I nodded. "Well, there are a couple of things that you need to know first before I accept this position, all of it. I will need Wednesday mornings off from 9:00-10:30. I have a long standing appointment that I need to keep. And, whereas I'm not a virgin, I have only slept with one person, and it has been almost a year since my last sexual encounter. I have never been a submissive."

I lowered my eyes to the ground, hanging my head.

I felt him raise my chin, ever so slowly with his index finger, brining my eyes up to meet his. I was struck immediately with how deep green his eyes were.

"I understand if that is a deal breaker."

"Certainly not Isabella. I thank you for your honesty, and if you do not protest, I will insist that both of us get medical checkups before we partake in any activities." I nodded, agreeing with him. "I will provide you with some reading materials so you can decide if this is the life you really want. If it is not, then you will still have your job as Juliette's nanny. I can find a submissive through more conventional ways. Do you have any questions for me?"

I sat, staring out into space wondering what the hell I was getting ready to get myself into.

EPOV:

I couldn't get the brunette waitress out of my mind all night long. All I could think about was trying to convince her to come home with me so I could introduce her to my crux decussata. I woke up with a raging hard on, and I'm not ashamed to admit, I screamed out her name when I came in the shower.

_That's right, I've been reduced to jacking off in the shower . . . I need a new submissive._

I pulled up to the park to get meet with my prospective employee, but after last night's interview that was a complete waste of time, I knew that I would be calling the nanny agency to replace Jane and I would be calling Aro soon afterward. Maybe I could just let her down gently before we even got started.

I looked down the path and saw a beautiful brunette sitting . . .

_No, it couldn't be? Could it?_

I sighed, running my hands through my hair. The woman who had been plaguing my dreams all night long was the woman who applied for my crazy-ass job posting on Craigslist. _Thank you God!_

I faintly registered a woman screaming for help, when I saw Isabella jump up quickly. She ran to the where the situation was and immediately started taking control. I snapped myself out of my stupor and ran down to help.

All my instincts as a doctor kicked in as I started chest compressions on the child. I heard his mother babbling in the background, explaining to the 911 operator that she had turned her back while she was on the phone and that her son, Aidan, had fallen into the wishing fountain. I thumped his chest trying to get his heart started as Isabella assisted in the rescue breathing. We were working in sync, like we had down this for ages. A few minutes later, Aidan started coughing up water, vomiting all over Isabella's blouse. To her credit, she didn't seemed phased by it at all. Rather, she turned the child and began rubbing his back in soothing circles.

_I needed this woman. Juliette needed this woman._ I would work around whatever I could to get this woman in my house.

I listened to all of Bella's questions during the interview, and assuaged some of her fears when it came to what she called "extracurricular activities." I had to laugh at that silently, that was one way of putting it. Quite honestly, I was happy we talked about all the aspects of this job - we needed to straighten out one thing though - she was being paid to be a live-in-nanny, not a live-in-whore. She seemed quite relieved when I clarified that.

I waited patiently for her to answer about my business proposition, when her voice rang out through the companionable silence.

"Juliette, that is a beautiful name. Did you name her after the famous Juliet?"

I nodded. "It was my mother's favorite Shakespearean play. When Juliette was born, I knew right then that there was no greater love than what I felt for her, so I named her after one of the greatest romantic plays, even if it did have a horrible ending."

"Can you tell me a little bit about Juliette, her temperament, what types of things that she like?" Bella's musical voice filtered in through my thoughts, breaking me out of my current daydream.

I smiled, hearing her call my daughter by name. "Juliette is currently at her mother's house," I informed her, trying to keep the venom out of my voice as I mention Leah. "She and I were never married, and she has court sanctioned visitation rights. I should warn you that on the Mondays that Juliette gets a bit clingy after coming back from her mother's, and she is hard to rouse in the morning. Your primary job will be to take care of the house and Juliette. She has a schedule that she follows rather vigorously."

Bella nodded her head. "Edward, I would love to accept your offer, except with one condition. I would like to do a trial run of one week with Juliette to make sure she will accept me in her life. Then, if that works out, we can do a test run of what you expect out of me."

I nodded. "When can you move in?"

"Well, considering I'm basically homeless, then anytime."

I looked to her for further clarification, and she filled me in on her situation. Not wanting to waste any time, I called in a couple of favors and got my shifted around my schedule so I could show Bella my house. There was no way I was going to let her continue this existence, not if I could help it.

**AN: I hope you enjoyed it. Drop me a line . . . reviews rock my socks. **

**Question: How is the plot? I like D/s stories and nanny stories so I stuck it all together in one. Also do I need to pick up the pace at all, or is it going at a nice pace right now. I have a tendency of being long winded in my stories.**

**Also - no need to fret readers of The Storm and OUATIF, those will be updated hopefully this week. I have some ideas for those.**

**I have no posting schedule as I normally work about 50-60 hours a week, and am married, so my husband does take up some time. I will try to update though regularly. **

**Coming up: Bella meets the Cullen clan.**


	4. Chapter 4

_**Chapter Four**_

EPOV:

I somehow made it back to my car and quickly checked my voicemail to make sure that Juliette didn't need me for anything. There was one message, and that was from my drycleaners telling me that my PA forgot to pick up my dry cleaning again. I sighed, wondering what I was going to do with her as I made my way back to my house. I had a good feeling about Bella Swan.

I pulled onto my street, checking my rearview mirror to make sure that Bella did in fact follow me. I was almost nervous that she would come to her senses about the arrangement and turn around, but she continued on right behind me with a look of determination on her face. It was actually quite funny seeing Bella behind the wheel of a truck that she aptly nicknamed Beast. I knew that there was no way I was going to allow Juliette in that truck - Bella shouldn't be driving it around. It was too dangerous. I was going to have to remedy this immediately.

I turned into the driveway punching in the code for the gate. Both sides of my family came from old money, and whereas I didn't have to work, I chose to.

Bella pulled in right behind me. I heard the old truck groan and sputter. I smiled, helping her out of the vehicle.

She stood in the driveway taking in the surroundings. My house wasn't as large as my parents, but it definitely wasn't shabby. The house was three stories with a finished basement with a game room - and my playroom. It was hidden from view, and no one knew it was there, unless I let them know it was there.

"Wow . . ." she trailed off.

"It's home, and hopefully you will enjoy it here as well," I told her. I placed my hand on the small of her back, leading her up to the front door. I set my keys in the kitchen in a drawer that I had set aside to hold just keys. I was notorious for losing my keys and this seemed to be the best system for me.

Bella was looking around the kitchen in awe. "My mother and cousin-in-law run an interior design firm and they insisted on redoing this house when I bought it . . . I insisted on rounded corners, so it would be a little safer for Juliette."

She nodded her head, running her fingers over the smooth granite countertops. I had to bite back a moan, as I started thinking of taking her in the kitchen, on the island. I closed my eyes, shaking myself back into reality.

"Dr. Cullen . . ."

"Please, Bella, call me Edward."

She smiled, tucking her hair behind her ears. "You have a beautiful home."

I smiled. "Would you like something to eat?"

She shook her head, but then her stomach grumbled, causing me to look at her. "When was the last time you ate?" I knew that hard times had fallen on her, as it had with much of the American people, but I had hoped that it would have been a little kinder to her.

"Ray feeds us most nights, but last night we were short staffed and we didn't get a break and with getting evicted, food was actually the last thing on my mind . . . I actually don't remember the last time I ate," she admitted quietly.

"I can't make much, but I can put together a mean turkey and cheese sandwich." Bella started to laugh a bit. "I will have you know that Juliette loves these things."

"I'm sorry Edward," she said with a smile on her face. "I didn't mean to laugh."

I made some sandwiches for us in silence, happy that she didn't see the need to fill the quiet with idle chit-chat. I set the sandwich in front of her, and watched as she took a bite. She hummed with appreciation, wiping the mayonnaise off the side of her mouth.

"So, what do you think?"

"When you said turkey and cheese, I really thought you meant just a plain turkey and cheese sandwich, but this sandwich is just absolutely divine."

I accepted her praise as I popped the top of my soda. I rarely ever had sodas in the house, however had added these to my normal order when I called in the groceries for the week. I was grateful for that impulse, because it seemed as if Bella was enjoying it during lunch.

"Do you need to call anyone?" I inquired while I was cutting up some fruit for our snack.

She cocked her head to the side, thinking about what needed to be done.

"I should call my friends, Ben and Angela, to let them know that I got the job. I've been crashing on their couch, so they will be relieved that I can stop doing that tomorrow night."

I turned to look at her. "You actually don't have to sleep on the couch tonight. When I told you in the park that you were no longer homeless, I meant it. This is your home - as long as you want it to be."

Tears formed in her eyes as she hastily wiped them away. "Thank you. No one has ever been this kind to me."

Impulsively, I wrapped my arms around her, trying to bring her some comfort. She relaxed into my embrace. I felt an unfamiliar electrical surge pulse between us, causing me to gasp a little bit.

"I'm sorry. Do I still smell like vomit?"

I shook my head, loosening my hold. "Why don't I show you around," I offered.

She nodded. "I would like that very much. It would be good for me to get familiar with my surroundings before I meet Juliette."

I placed my hand at the small of her back again, just wanting to touch her. I figured sooner or later I would finally get my fill with her, but until the time was right, I would have to wait.

When you entered my home, you were greeted by a two story foyer, directly in front was a staircase, and to the left was a sitting room, and to the right there was a small office. I didn't use the office downstairs, it was just there for show mostly. Maybe Bella could find some use for the room.

If you continued down the long hallway, which held pictures of Juliette and myself, you would find the kitchen and dining room, which was artfully decorated with a large black dining set, with khaki colored walls, offset by green accents throughout. To the right of the kitchen was another large living area where most of the staff would lounge during their down time. Another staircase was found off the living room which lead to my room (which I decided to skip over, she would see that later), Juliette's room, and two spare bedrooms.

Bella walked into Juliette's room, taking in the surroundings. My baby girl was never into really frilly things, but she was still a girl. Her room was taken out of a page of a catalog with light green walls adorned by murals of cherry blossoms. Her bed linens were a light pink with pintucks, which matched the curtains. On one father/daughter weekend outings, we had painted wooden letters and hung them above her wrought iron bed.

Bella walked through the room, picking up a picture of Juliette and me off the nightstand. She smiled, tracing Juliette's face with her finger. "I assume this is Juliette."

"You assume correctly. That was her fourth birthday party, which was about a month ago. She got so big so fast."

"That they do. Soon you won't need me," Bella said smiling.

I shook my head at the thought. Juliette would always need someone as a mother figure in her life, and so far, even though I had only known Bella for a couple of hours, she seemed like she was going to fit right in.

"She's a beautiful child. You are going to need to borrow a shotgun from Charlie when she is old enough to date."

"Who's Charlie?"

Bella smiled. "My father. He lives in a little town in Washington named Forks. It's about six hours from here. He has lived there his entire life and is now the town sheriff."

"That would explain the gun." I smiled. I took the picture back from Bella, placing it on the nightstand. I hadn't heard from my mother, so I could only assume that Juliette was doing alright. "I won't have to borrow a gun though. Juliette promised me that she would even consider holding hands with a boy until she was thirty."

"Little girls grow up."

I groaned, not wanting to think about the day. I knew that Juliette wouldn't need me forever, but I didn't even want to entertain those thoughts.

"Would you like to see your room?

She nodded, looking around the room one last time. I closed the door, and showed her up another staircase.

I opened the door to the live-in suite which my mother had insisted I add. It was a major renovation, but through all of Juliette's nannies, I was grateful that I bit the bullet and let her do it. Alice had decorated the master room tastefully with mauve walls accented by gold linens and chocolate brown furniture. The center of the room held the king size bed with two nightstands on either side. I was never up here much, but that may change if Bella and I decide to go delve further into the extracurricular activities.

Thinking of the elephant in the room, I decided to bring it up. "I will bring you some reading material about the submissive lifestyle. We can talk more about it when you make your decision."

Bella was getting ready to say something when the doorbell rang. "I'll get that, as most of the staff has off today. This entire floor is yours, meaning the next room over as well. I'll be back as soon as I get this."

I went down the stairs, figuring it must be someone I knew considering they made it through the gates. I opened the door to see Jessica standing there. She was the personal assistant I hired two months ago to help me manage my time and affairs a little better. I really didn't need her, but my father and mother thought it would make my life easier, and I hired her as a favor to my friend. She was actually a pretty awful PA, bringing more problems than what she was worth.

"Miss Stanley, what are you doing here?" I asked smoothly, silently cursing her in my head for interrupting the precious I had with my brunette goddess upstairs.

"I know that it is your weekend working, but I noticed your car was out front and thought you might like some company . . ."

I stopped her right then. "I am actually entertaining someone right now. I have hired a new nanny for Juliette."

"I don't understand why you are wasting your money like that Edward . . ."

"It's Dr. Cullen, Miss Stanley. You are under my employ."

"Sorry, I mean, Juliette is in preschool five days a week and then you don't have her every other weekend, so it really is just a waste of money. What will she be doing the other hours? I could easily pick her up and wait for you to get home from the office."

I shook my head, not believing her audacity. "Jessica, I do believe that is none of your business. Juliette needs someone who can be here just in case I get called away on an emergency. I am a surgeon."

"You are also in the midst of developing a new drug for Cullen Pharmaceuticals. You won't have to be a surgeon anymore. And even if you got called away, I could move in here and take care of Juliette"

"I like being a surgeon," I told her once more. Jessica Stanley was overstepping her boundaries once more. Juliette hated her. I had Jessica watch her one time, and that was enough for the both of us. I shook my head questioning her about her activities as my personal assistant. "Do you have my dry cleaning Miss Stanley?"

She shook her head.

"Were you able to schedule a place for the gala?"

She shook her head.

"Did you confirm Juliette's dance lessons?"

"I work for you . . ."

I shook my head. "Not anymore Miss Stanley. Please give me your keys and gate key. I trusted you to get three tasks done through this week. I'm wondering why I am spending money on you."

Her jaw dropped as she saw I was not messing around with her. I dealt with her incompetence enough.

She went back out to her car, turning to look at me. "You'll regret this."

"I highly doubt it Jessica. Goodbye."

I walked back inside with her Blackberry and keys, setting them on the foyer table. I ran my hands through my hair. "Shit, what am I going to do now?" I mumbled mostly to myself. I didn't really need a personal assistant, but she really did help make it a little easier. She did all the little things that made it easier for me to spend time with Juliette.

"I could pick up the slack for her." I looked up the stairs and saw Bella sitting halfway in the middle. "I didn't mean to eavesdrop, but I was coming to find you and I heard your conversation. She really is right, I mean what am I going to do with the hours that Juliette is in school. You do have a maid that comes in, though I will be responsible for light cleaning. I can take care of breakfast and dinnertime, so that really leaves me with about 5-6 dead hours. From the sound of it, you don't need her for much."

"I don't want you to have to do too much though."

"We will just include it in my job description. It really doesn't seem like much. It just seems like she has poor time management skills."

I smiled. "Alright. I guess you are my nanny/personal assistant."

"And maybe submissive," Bella added as she shook my hand.

I nodded, making a mental note to up her pay for taking on the extra responsibilities.

BPOV:

We made our way through the busy city streets and made our way further out, away from the city, away from familiar. I was grateful for the ride because it gave me time to think, which sometimes, I think was never a good thing. Angela always said I tend to over think things, and that I need to learn to trust my gut. And my gut was telling me that I needed to eat, and that this was a perfect solution for the time being.

_Could I be a submissive though?_

I picked up my phone off the passenger side, intending to call Angela, however was unable to because I ran out of minutes on the prepaid cellular. I had twenty dollars left, so I could go get another 100 minutes for that.

The drive took about twenty minutes into one of the more affluent subdivisions. I looked up and saw Edward looking at me through the rearview mirror, no doubting trying to see if I could follow him in the Beast. He punched a code into the gate and I followed him down the drive. He house was humongous. In fact, house may not quite cut it.

After lunch, he decided to show me around the place, which I needed so I could familiarize myself with the environment. Juliette's room and playroom were beautifully done, no doubt that some love and attention went into making sure that she was comfortable. I noticed that the intercom system also doubled as a baby monitor - all we had to do was flip the switch. This would be helpful considering I was on a different floor from her.

To say I was astounded by my room - or area - was an understatement. Once Edward left to answer the bell, I was able to take it all in. My room had an attached bathroom with a claw foot tub and beautiful dark marble countertops. I could tell a woman had decorated because there was a makeup vanity in the dressing room. I walked across the hall and noticed that I also had my own living area. Whereas it wasn't as large as the main ones down stairs, it was enough to fit a maroon L-shaped couch, which faced a feature wall of windows and a fireplace. Above the fireplace was a flat screen television. To the back of the couch was a wall of floor to ceiling bookcases.

I found myself going down the stairs when I heard Edward speaking rather sharply to another woman. From what I could gather, she was his personal assistant, and not a very good one at that. I sat down in the middle of the staircase, wondering why he had hired me. Jessica could have easily picked up Juliette from school, like she had pointed out. I listened in horror as Edward effectively dismissed her from her position.

I heard him re-enter the house a couple minutes later and decided to make my presence known.

"I could pick up the slack," I told him from my position on the stairs. I apologized for eavesdropping explaining why I felt like I should do more. He was paying me just to basically take his daughter to school, pick her up, and help out where I needed to. I needed to earn my keep. I wanted to please this man.

He smiled after I reminded him that I still may be his submissive with a look of contemplation on his face.

"What are you thinking about?"

"Well, if you are going to be my personal assistant, I'm going to have to bring you up to speed on everything. Also, you are going to need an office to work out of . . ."

"Edward, I can work in the extra room upstairs."

"Nonsense." He grabbed my hand bringing me into one of the front rooms. "This office is only here for show. We might as well get some use out of it."

I nodded dumbly. "I'll bring in my computer."

He shook his head. "My sister got the latest Mac Book last week for Jessica. I was going to give it to her, but there is no need for that, and since I opened it to download some of our schedules, I can't return it. Consider this a sign on gift. Also, I'm going to have to transfer you over to my cell account, if that is alright with you."

I nodded again. I was getting ready to ask about dress code when there was another knock on the door. Edward groaned, throwing a frustrated look at the ceiling.

He answered it quickly, I noticed that he stumbled back as someone had launched his/herself into his arms.

"Alice, let go of my cousin," I heard a voice laugh. "Edward, can you tell me why you took off today? Did you forget we were supposed to meet today during your break?"

"I didn't think I needed to run everything by you . . . and I honestly did forget. Besides, I was interviewing for the position we talked about. Jasper, Alice this is Bella Swan, my new nanny."

Jasper's eyes widened in surprise, but luckily Edward was talking to Alice, so he didn't notice. _Shit._

Jasper had been my psychiatrist for the past several years. He was doing my case pro bono, and he was slowly helping me every Wednesday morning get control of my panic attacks and trust issues. Jasper cocked his head to the side and stuck out his hand to shake mine.

"Nice to meet you," Jasper said evenly.

"Bella has been a Godsend. I finally got rid of Jessica, and Bella has also offered to fill in as my PA as well as my nanny. We were just ending our interview."

Alice turned toward me and smiled. "You are going to love Juliette. She is adorable. Did you like the nanny suite. I decorated it myself."

"It's gorgeous. The closet is huge. There is no way I'm going to be able to fill it up."

_Oh crap. Clothes . . . shoes . . . pictures of me and Charlie . . ._

Jasper started looking concerned as I tensed up, stressing out about my eviction. Edward looked up and sensed my distress. He walked over to me, placing his hands on my arms. "Isabella, look at me."

I snapped my head up, looking at him, concentrating on his green irises. "I'm going to take care of you. I know that the landlord will probably sell off your property at auction and will only let you keep the personal effects. Don't worry about it."

I watched as he handed his card to Alice. "I can't let you do that," I cried out, lowering my eyes to the ground. I should be able to take care of myself, and I was failing miserably.

"You are my employee now, and you will need uniforms for work. This is a work expense for me. Don't worry about things, I'm taking care of you now. Alice will take you out for a couple of hours. I forgot that Jasper and I have a five o'clock meeting today anyway. Will you be okay with that?"

"Of course," I kept my eyes trained on his feet. He was doing so much for me.

He brought my eyes up to his and tucked my hair behind my ear for me. "I'll see you in a couple of hours. We'll meet you out for dinner. Get yourself something appropriate for a nice dinner tonight. We are going to celebrate your new position."

**AN: Reviews make my day. I read every single one of them.**

**I threw in the personal assistant idea because I loved Pepper Potts in Iron Man 1 and 2, and figured it would work. That way when they are out at different functions she can be introduced not as the nanny but as his PA, if that makes sense, but her primary role will be to take care of Juliette.**

**Also - a big fat thank you goes out to everyone who has this on alert/favorites. **

**Also - no need to fret readers of The Storm and OUATIF, those will be updated hopefully this week. I have some ideas for those**


	5. Chapter 5

_**A big thank you to thewaywardgirl for pimping this story out of her blog! She did a fantastic job. Now . . . on to the story.**_

_**Chapter Five**_

_EPOV:_

Isabella's sudden spike in anxiety threw me off kilter for a couple of moments, and sensing her panic attack, I sprang into action, trying to break the terrorizing fear that was going to ripple throughout her body.

"Isabella, look at me!"

I felt her eyes connect with mine, as I brought my hands up to frame her face. I felt her breathing immediately stabilize as she brought me into focus. _Good that is what I wanted. _Bella broke her gaze and tried to stare back down at an imaginary point on the ground.

I stepped back, observing her for the millionth time today, and I came to the same conclusion: she was delicate, beautiful, and hopefully - sooner rather than later -mine.

I explained to her that it was my responsibility to take care of her - omitting that it brings me pleasure to take care of her. As a Dom, it is completely in my nature to take control of things, and fix it. This was situation that Bella found herself in was completely fixable. I explained to Alice what items that Bella would need to at least start the week, explaining to my shopaholic cousin-in-law that the sky was the limit. Bella would need pajamas, work appropriate attire, clothes for the house, and a new Blackberry.

I could feel Jasper's eyes burning into my back as I gave Alice and Bella instructions for their shopping excursion. I handed over the keys to the Lexus SUV Hybrid and waited until the SUV was safely out of the driveway before turning my attention to my cousin. I wandered into the kitchen, grabbing a beer from the refrigerator for the both of us. I picked up my Blackberry to make a couple calls, trying to secure a couple more things before Jasper began on me. My cousin was a shrink - my confidant - and I knew that there was no way he was going to let me out of this one easily.

"So is Bella _just _your nanny?" Jasper inquired has he took a sip of his Heineken.

"I don't know what you are insinuating Jazz."

I grabbed the morning paper, that I didn't have time to read, and sat down at the table waiting for the onslaught of questions.

"Don't play stupid with me Edward. I have lived with you since I was ten years old. There was something about the way you interacted with Isabella that seemed to be more than just nanny and employer," Jasper summed up. _Shit, he picked up on it already._

Damn it. He was one insightful person. I mean, how could he not, he was the one who introduced me to the lifestyle of many years ago. He knew what tone I had taken with Isabella when I recognized her panic attack. Would Jasper understand?

I sighed, taking a sip of my beer, trying to formulate my thoughts.

"Remember that night when we stole Uncle Carlisle's new Mercedes and drove all the way to the beach?" Jasper broke in, interrupting the freight train of thoughts that were racing through my head.

I chuckled. "I didn't know that he hadn't gotten the plates yet. When we got pulled over, the cops tried to bust us for grand theft larceny. What does that have to do with anything?"

"Do you remember what Aunt Esme said when she came to pick us up?"

"She wanted the entire story, and all three of us started at different places. And mom said for us to start at the beginning."

"So I want you to start at the very beginning Edward."

I sighed, running my hands through my hair. "Do you remember about last week how I was drinking with you and Emmett had a great idea of posting an ad for a new nanny and a new submissive?"

"Since when did you start listening to Emmett? Out of all of the horrible, stupid ideas that Emmett has, this was the one thing you listened to! I distinctly remember thinking that it was a horrible idea. I mean did you not think of the repercussions of what would happen if you and Isabella went different ways! How would Juliette handle another mother figure leaving her. She has been through . . ."

I set my beer down, looking at my cousin. "Don't ever accuse me of not putting my daughter first. Juliette is my number one - always. Isabella will always first and foremost be Juliette's nanny, everything else is just extracurricular activities - her words not mine."

"And how does Bella feel about being paid while also partaking in these extracurricular activities?" Jasper shook his head. "It's like she's a common whore."

"Don't you dare call Bella that! We discussed that already and it was made clear that these activities are purely by choice and in fact, not a paid part of the job. I will not have her feel cheapened. She needs to feel respected, needed, and adored. None of that will happen if she ever thought she was getting paid to be in my bed," I explained. "Honestly Jazz, can I confide something with you?"

"As your cousin or as your shrink?"

"Both," I replied. "I met her before the interview and was absolutely taken with her. I was interviewing someone else for the job, and she was our waitress. The moment I saw her, I just felt the need to protect her. Victoria, the other lady I was interviewing for the position, had rudely knocked her to the ground and then proceeded to treat Isabella very poorly."

Jasper nodded his head. "I have known you all your life, and have lived with you for damn near close to half of your life. It would have been completely against your nature to just sit by and not do anything for her. But for God's sake, did it have to be a job of this nature, I mean Bella . . ."

Jasper stopped short of his thoughts, causing me to quirk my eyebrows up at him. "Do you know her?" Jasper hung his head, staring at the ground. "Don't start that shit with me Jazz! I just hired this complete stranger to help out with my daughter, and I have the right to know if there is anything that I should be aware of. She's not a complete psycho is she?"

Jasper sighed, "I would never allow someone who is dangerous to be around my family. But, even you just said that you barely know Bella - that she is a complete stranger. Are you even thinking about this clearly?"

I nodded, knowing that my cousin would never breach his patient/doctor confidentiality - and technically he didn't - he just confirmed what I had already known . . . Isabella was going to be good for this family.

"I have never been more certain about anyone before. She's my siren in more way then one. Bella calls to me, and she doesn't even know it. And further more, she just seems to fit, ya know. Do you have any advice on how I should introduce Bella to Juliette?"

"How did you do it with the last three?"

"I just brought them in and told Juliette that they were going to be her new nanny. Honestly, she hadn't taken to anyone since Camille left last January, and I'm worried that Juliette will never have a strong mother-like role model in her life again."

"How are things with Leah? Has Juliette had anymore outbursts?"

"Only the normal, clinginess of not wanting to leave me. She feels that she has to take care of me, like I'm her responsibility. She has grown up too fast Jazz."

Jasper nodded. "Maybe bringing Bella in as someone who is going to help you then, rather than telling her straight out that Bella is her nanny. Juliette is a smart child. Since she has started pre-school, she has seen mothers and fathers interact. She is probably thinking that you need something like that, and sees this as her new role. Just make sure that she feels like the child."

I heeded my cousin's advice, mulling it over in my head. Juliette had always acted more mature for her age, and it was time that she started doing other things - thus the dance lessons that Jessica had forgotten to schedule. Juliette had been looking forward to going, and now - this may not be a possibility.

Juliette and I needed Bella, more than we ever knew.

_BPOV:_

We made our way back through the city, settling on a small shopping area that was by the piers. There were some specialty shops there, as well as some brand name stores as well. I had just wanted to go to Walmart to pick up the necessities, but Alice wouldn't allow that.

"So Bella, what do you think of my cousin?" Alice asked as she pulled the sleek SUV into the parking spot.

I got out and followed behind her. She tossed me the keys, causing me to look at her.

"The vehicle is technically yours. It belonged to the previous nanny. I figured you should get use to driving it, since you will be using this as you main mode of transportation while in custody of Juliette. Now stop trying to distract me, what do you think of Edward?"

"I have only known Edward for a couple of hours, but he seems to be quite a person. Almost larger than life. Not many people would take a complete stranger into their home and offer them a job . . . he has been quite the Godsend right now. And, please Alice, keep the receipts, I am planning on paying Edward back for this shopping trip." I explained as we made our way through the streets. Isabella Swan was not raised to be a mooch, and I wasn't going to start now. I could pay Edward back with my first paycheck, seeing as everything - room and board wise - was going to be taken care of.

Alice laughed. "Please Bella, do you really think that Edward will allow you to do that? I mean - this trip won't even be a day of pay for him."

"I just don't understand why someone like him, would want to help a nobody like me. He could have chosen a thousand willing women for the job."

Alice stopped at a park bench, signaling for me to sit down. "You have only known Edward for a couple of hours, this is true - and so you don't know Edward that well. Edward has always been a very private person with his thoughts, and has always been very choosy of the women in allows around Juliette, and for good reason. I'm assuming that he told you a little bit about Juliette's mother."

I nodded. "I know that they were never married, and that her visitation is court-ordered and supervised."

"Because of Leah, Edward has some major control and trust issues."

I stared out into the bay, watching the sailboats roll in. "I think I can relate to that." I sighed, tugging on my ponytail. "I just don't understand why he would choose someone as plain as me. The woman at the restaurant was gorgeous, exotic looking. I'm just plain and mousy. Nothing really . . ."

Alice snatched my hand and pulled me off the bench. "You don't see yourself clearly at all. One day, you will see what Edward sees in you. For now, just know that Edward letting you in the house, and letting you in his life is a huge step. Now, let's go shopping!"

The first store that Alice drug me into was a little corner boutique, City Girls, I knew I should have ran for it when the sales consultant greeted Alice by name.

"Alice - what brings you by today?" I looked at the woman's nametag, noting that her name was Bree.

"My friend and I decided to come out to find her a new wardrobe. We need jeans, blouses, work attire, almost everything. She just started a new job and her wardrobe has to be able to fulfill the needs of a little bit of everything. Maybe we can start off with a couple of Lucky Brand Jeans and work our way from there."

Bree sized me up, declaring I was a 26/32, whatever the heck that meant, as she skipped off throughout the store, mumbling something about skinny or flare, causing Alice to laugh.

"Bree loves shopping with other people's money," she informed me. "Why don't we just look through some of the racks, seeing if we can find some tops that will suit you?"

I begrudgingly stood, making my way over to the sale rack first, hearing Alice scowl behind me. I pulled out a beautiful tan, multi-tiered tonic and held it up for her to see.

"That one isn't bad, what are you thinking of wearing it too?"

"I was thinking I might want some longer shirts for when I'm down on the ground in the playground with Juliette."

Alice nodded, apparently liking what I was choosing the shirt for. After choosing a bright green sundress (the color reminded me of Edward's eyes), along with a jean jacket, and Rainbow sandals - all of which were Alice approved - we made our way back to Bree, who had started a fitting room.

When all was said and done in City Girls, I had obtained three pairs of jeans, three sundresses, two pencil skirts, and the other clothes I had picked out. Alice had found a dress and a pair of shoes for dinner, which she assured me I would like.

She handed me a bag and smiled. "I think you should change into a different outfit," Alice told me. "No offense, but you smell a little bit like vomit."

I shook my head and started to laugh. "Sorry about that Edward promised me that I didn't."

"He is so used to the smell, I on the other hand have a great sense of smell, and can't stand it."

I nodded, grateful of the chance to change. Once I was in a pair of sandals, jeans, and band t-shirt, I finally began to feel a little bit more like myself.

"Hey Alice, do you want to drop these packages off and then go get a cup of coffee. I'm a little beat."

"That sounds great."

We dropped off the packages, making our way to the local coffee shop. I settled down, waiting for Alice, getting lost in my thoughts. Just yesterday, I was homeless, sleeping on a friend's couch, and now I was getting new clothes, which I so desperately needed, and had a good job to help support myself. I leaned back, closing my eyes, thanking God for the turn of events and vowed to myself I would keep an open mind about becoming a submissive.

"Penny for your thoughts . . ." Alice placed a caramel frappacino in front of me, causing me to moan with satisfaction.

"How did you know this is what I wanted?"

"I have a feeling that me and you are a lot alike, and that we are going to be great friends, she replied smiling.

I smiled back, flipping my hair behind me. "I hope so. I only have one really close friend, and would like to have a couple more. So tell me about yourself. I realize that we are shopping with complete strangers."

"I just got married to Jasper about three months ago. We met when he was singing at a bar, and have been inseparable ever since. I looked at him and just knew that he was the one I was supposed to be with. Everyone speaks of wanting that feeling, I guess I am one of the lucky few that actually get to feel it. What about you?"

"There isn't much to tell. My mother was basically a nomad, and when I was ten, she dropped me off at my father's house. Charlie was great, a lot like me. He was always very supportive of me even when I decided on a complete career change."

"What were you before you were a nanny?" Alice wondered as I took a sip of my drink.

"I was a nurse . . . and it can burn people out rather quickly . . . I lasted about two years before I signed up for early childhood education. I graduated about six months ago, but with the recession, the job market is pretty much dried up. Edward is actually my first job out. Before that I was supporting myself as a waitress at Ray's Diner."

"I know that place . . . Edward and Jasper go there frequently after their shifts at the hospital."

"I had never seen him there before, but that doesn't mean anything. There were so many waitresses on staff mostly because Ray never had the heart to fire anyone."

"Edward and Carlisle saved Ray's life a couple years ago. They were eating there after their shift when Ray had a heart attack. They immediately jumped into action and saved his life."

"That would explain why Ray told me that Edward's money was no good there, Edward paid anyway. Ray donated it to the heart society," I told her.

Alice nodded, and then set down her drink, looking at me pensively. "Edward told me about your landlord evicting you. You didn't have time to grab anything out of there did you?"

I shook my head. "I'm so ashamed. I mean, I should have been able to make rent, should be able to take care of myself, and here I am, basically mooching off of his kindness right now."

"I'm sorry that happened, but sometimes, crap happens. I only asked because I needed to know what else we have to get before meeting the guys for dinner in two hours. We need to hit up Victoria Secret and get some shoes for you," Alice told me. She bounced a little while finishing up her drink.

"I also want to go to the book store and toy store to get a couple of gifts." I still had forty dollars in my possession, I could get Juliette something and maybe something for Edward.

"We also need to find some more work attire and some play attire. Since you are Edward's new PA, you will have to put in some time at Cullen Pharmaceuticals. Not much, just a couple hours a weeks, and everything we got, minus the pencil skirts really aren't work appropriate. I think we might have to split up. And you also need some underwear. Not that Edward wouldn't mind if you went commando."

I laughed at the idea, wondering idly if he would make me do things like that if I became his submissive._ Bless me father for I have sinned, for I am having impure thoughts. But I don't know if I'm really sorry about fantasizing about Edward Cullen, so does this confession really count?_

"Do you trust me?" Alice asked bringing me out of my thoughts.

"Just don't get anything too risqué. Just some plain cotton boy shorts and a couple of bras should work."

Alice nodded and smirked at me as she danced off to finish the shopping. I groaned, wondering to what I just agreed to, but decided that it really didn't matter. I wanted to do something for Edward, considering he had done so much for me.

I walked into a specialty store and found the perfect gift for Edward, but knew I wouldn't be able to get him it at the moment, so I spoke to the owner and set up a layaway option. I then made my way to the Build-A-Bear workshop and spent 25 bucks on a customized bear for my new charge. I looked down at my watch, and noticed that I had another hour before having to meet up with Alice. Not wanting to stray too far, I made my way to the bookstore.

I loved books, and tried to hold the tears at bay when I thought about the boxes upon boxes of books that Mr. Reid was probably going to sell off to make my back rent. I sighed at the thought of losing my beloved first edition of _Like Water for Chocolate_ but hoped that it was going to bring someone as much joy as it brought me.

As I left the bookstore, I rounded the corner, thinking about the situation I had found myself in.

_Could I be a submissive?_

_Would I be a good nanny?_

I was so lost in my runaway thoughts, that I hadn't paid attention to where I was going, and accidently stumbled into someone. I braced myself for the inevitable impact with the ground when it never came.

"Thank you," I told the man. I could smell the alcohol and stale cigarettes on his breath. "I'm sorry for running into you." My voice was shaky, and I could feel the overwhelming panic beginning to set in with this man's proximity. He hadn't loosened his grip on my arm yet, which added even more to my anxiety.

I tried to pry myself away from his grasp, and he tightened his grip more. "Please let me go, it was an accident."

"No can do Sweetcheeks. You ran into me, and I think I deserve some kind of reward for helping you out."

"I don't have any money . . ." I stuttered out, tears started pouring, and I was helpless to stop them.

_Helplessness seemed to be a running theme in my life lately._

The man pulled me closer to him, as I choked out a couple more pleas for him to stop.

"Please don't . . ."

I felt his tongue against my cheek, causing me to cry out.

"Bella!"

I opened my eyes, immediately seeking out the person who yelled out my name. I saw Jasper, Alice, and Edward standing a couple yards away. Edward's eyes were completely black, rage was rolling off of him.

"I suggest you unhand my girlfriend," Edward seethed out, stepping closer to me, placing his hand on my wrist jerking me away from danger.

I wrapped my arms around Edward, whispering words of relief in his ears, feeling safe in his arms. I could feel some of the tension leave his body as his arms wrapped around me. More bystanders had started to circle, causing the man to slink off back into whatever bar he crawled out of.

"Are you alright?" Edward addressed me, after pulling me back up some alley onto the main strip of the shops. "What where you doing down there!"

I could feel the anger rolling off of him. "I'm so sorry, I accidently wandered down there when I came out of the bookstore," I hiccupped. "How did you find me?"

"We saw you as we were parking," Jasper supplied. "Alice said you guys were meeting up in this area."

Alice nodded. "We shouldn't have split up. I'm sorry. Why don't we get ready for dinner at the coffee shop? I know the owner and she won't mind if we use her bathrooms to freshen up," she suggested.

I looked to Edward, who reluctantly released his hold. "Bella, I just found you, I couldn't stand to lose you. Promise me that you guys will go straight from the coffee shop to the restaurant."

_EPOV:_

My anger had spiked seeing that cretin with his hands all over my Bella. I sensed her anxiety and fear, but I knew that I couldn't properly beat this man without giving her nightmares. _There was a special place in hell for predators like him_.

Jasper, ever so calm, kept me from escalating, which is what I needed. I needed to tend to Bella right now. After dragging her to safety, it took everything in me not to kiss her senseless.

I settled into the booth, looking at Jasper, waiting impatiently for the women to show up.

"I thought I was going to have to pull you off that man," Jasper mentioned taking a sip from his wine glass.

"For a minute, you were going to. I knew though that I needed to focus on Bella, take care of her. She was so scared . . ." I trailed off not wanting to think of what would have happened if we had left the house five minutes later. I sighed. "I just found her Jazz, I can't lose her already."

Jasper looked up. "You're falling for her fast. Tread carefully Edward."

I nodded, taking in his advice. I needed to find out a way to slow down these feelings I was having for her. She was my nanny, my PA, and maybe my submissive. Doms care about their submissives, and some even fall for them, but I hadn't fallen in love with any of my subs yet. _Could I be falling for Isabella Swan?_

I sighed, looking up. My gaze fell on Alice and Bella, who were talking amicably with the hostess. Bella was a vision in her deep jade and amethyst v-neck floral dress. She balance precariously on stilettos, which made her legs look impossibly longer. Her hair was pulled out of the confines of her pony tail, releasing the natural curl of her hair. Alice had applied a touch of natural makeup, which only enhanced Bella's natural beauty. _I was going to have to give Alice my Amex more often._

I stood, allowing Bella to slide gracefully into the booth with me. She smiled shyly as I tucked a piece of errant hair behind her ear. I poured her a glass of wine, bringing my glass to hers.

"What shall we toast to?" Bella asked softly.

"New beginnings and new opportunities," I answered.

"Well said, Edward, we said," Jasper announced bringing his glass up. We clinked out glasses together, ready to forge out whatever path we needed to.

**AN: Reviews make my day. I read every single one of them. Sorry for the delay, but I was out of town last weekend, and then I couldn't decide if I wanted to include the dinner or not . . . but I do hope that you like it.**

**Also - a big fat thank you goes out to everyone who has this on alert/favorites. She will be meeting Juliette in the next chapter. This chapter was somewhat of a filler for introductions of how Jasper and Alice were going to fit in the story better.**


	6. Chapter 6

___I hope it was worth the wait. Here is the next chapter._

_**Chapter Six**_

EPOV:

I watched as Bella brought the glass to her lips; her mouth turned upward as she swallowed a little bit of wine. She casually brought her hand up to her face, brushing some stray hairs from obscuring her view. I noticed that she was shaking slightly, so I brought my hand up to hers, stilling her movements.

"Are you alright Isabella?" I asked softly, but my voice still had a hard edge to it. I needed to know - I had to know. I had promised her that I would protect her and on the first day, some "man" almost violated her. I wasn't doing my duties, and I knew it.

"I'm still a little shaken up from the alleyway," Bella replied, low enough so that I was the only one who could hear. "I was so scared . . . and then you showed up."

I felt the anger inside of me bubble up again, and I tried my best to squelch the desire to find the cretin and dismember him, but Isabella needed me now. I focused on her face, locking my eyes on to hers. I calmed myself down enough to keep the anger from my voice.

"We really need to work on you becoming a little bit more observant," I told her, rubbing my thumb across her knuckles. She shivered a little bit, and not from the cold. "I don't want anything happening to you. Juliette and I just found you."

"I understand," she replied. "I don't know what to order. I haven't really been to a restaurant other than Ray's in so long that I'm afraid that I won't make a good decision. Would you mind ordering for me?" Bella asked changing the subject.

"Do you have any food allergies?"

"Shellfish," she supplied quickly. "That is the only one I know about. Thank God I'm not allergic to peanut butter, that would be a travesty. I'm also not too fond of fish in general. Is there anything that Juliette absolutely hates or is allergic to?"

I smiled thinking about my daughter. "She is allergic to Swiss cheese - no other type of cheese or dairy - just Swiss cheese. She is also allergic to penicillin. Juliette has a severe reaction to that, she went into anaphylactic shock when she was about a year old." I shuddered at the memory. I'm a doctor by trade, but I'm also a father first.

"You've must have been beside yourself."

"I was. Juliette is my greatest accomplishment."

"She sounds wonderful. When will I get the chance to meet her?"

"My mother will bring her back tomorrow, after her visit with Leah and Rachel is over. She might be out of sorts, as I mentioned before, and she likes to be read to afterward. Maybe you can help me with her?" I suggested.

Bella nodded at the suggestion. "I just want to dive head first into it. I loved to read. I had so many books at my apartment. I'm sure that Mr. Reid has sold them all to auction to cover my back rent," I told him softly, trying not to get upset about the loss of my beloved book collection.

I was getting ready to respond when the waitress came up to take our orders. For myself, I ordered a coq a vin chicken, a wonderful little French dish my mother cooked from the Julia Child's cookbook, and for Bella, I ordered a sundried tomato Alfredo chicken dish, hoping that she would like some pasta. She looked a little thin, and could use a little bit of calories in her.

I heard Jasper order for the two of them as well, with his slight Southern drawl that came out once in a blue moon. I watched as Alice placed her hand on Jasper's bicep as her head leaned softly into his shoulder. My cousin whispered softly in her ear, making Alice blush. I assumed he had just made a suggestion of what was to come tonight with the two of them.

Bella sighed beside me, watching the interaction as well. I hoped that I would achieve what my cousin and Alice had achieved. Jasper had fell in love with Alice at first sight at a bar, and luckily she was pretty amicable to his lifestyle. She had slid right into being a submissive fairly easily. I had known Bella for a couple of hours and had seen some natural submissive tendencies in her, but didn't know how deep those tendencies ran.

I could feel the warmth radiating off her body, as she was sitting incredibly close to me. There was a faint smell of raspberries and vanilla swirling around her. I watched again as she took another sip of her wine, smiling as she swallowed.

"This is really good wine, did you pick it out?" Bella asked me.

I nodded in affirmation. "It's Chianti," I informed her.

"It's delicious."

"Yes Edward, you picked a great wine," Alice piped up, joining the conversation. "So what did you guys do today while we were shopping?"

I smiled. "I spoke with Mr. Reid . . ."

"You spoke with my landlord?" Bella spoke up.

"And I went to you apartment to gather your personal affects. I'm sorry but he already sold the furniture and clothes to cover your debt." I pulled out a book that I had in my pocket and handed it to her. I believe I had picked up a tattered copy of _Like Water for Chocolate._ I could tell that it was much loved.

Tears sprung to her eyes as she reached out tentatively for the tome. "It's a first addition. My grandmother would read this to me when I visited her down in Phoenix. Thank you. This has to be the nicest thing that anyone has ever done for me. How did you get my address?"

"Your resume," I replied simply. "I figured you would like some things from your home. I'm sorry that I couldn't get there before he sold everything off."

"Most everything was from Goodwill," I told him shrugging. "You saved what was most important to me. Edward, thank you so much. It has been so long for someone to take care of me. I have been taking care of everyone other than myself. I'll never be able to repay you for everything you have done for me."

I noticed that Jasper and Alice had retreated to the bar, presumably to acquire more drinks, or to give us some privacy, and I was grateful for that. I cupped her cheek, raising her chin, causing her to look at me. "I promised you at the house that I would take care of you. I anticipate other people's needs - it has always been in my nature."

"It seems like you can almost read my mind," Bella stated softly.

"It's part of my job," I told her. "People aren't always truthful when they come to see the doctor. We get drug seekers and other cases like that all the time . . ."

"I suppose that you would also have to anticipate the needs of you sexual partners," Bella mused quietly, keeping her tone down for privacy sake.

"That I do," I told her.

"So I suppose being a Dom is in your nature then. Can being a sub be in someone's nature, or are they taught?"

Bella's line of questioning had me very pleased. She was at least open to the idea, which delighted me to no end. I had already placed some reading material in her room, and it would cover more, but I explained to her the basics.

"Just like being a Dom is in my nature, I can see some submissive qualities in you," I told her truthfully. I saw her furrow her brow, and she sighed softly.

"I'm worried that I won't be experienced enough for you. Honestly, the guy I was with told me I sucked in bed, and now I have been reluctant to have anymore lovers . . ." she trailed off, and as I was beginning to rebuttal her statement, she spoke again.

"How long have you been a Dom?" She asked curiously.

"I started with this lifestyle around six years ago, just as I graduated undergrad. Jasper actually introduced me to the lifestyle has he saw my tendencies emerge."

"Jasper is your cousin, right?"

I nodded my head. "He is actually more of a brother to me than my cousin. Jazz's parents died when we were young, I was ten, he was twelve. His parents weren't ever really around anyway, always travelling, leaving Jazz with us. My aunt and his father had enrolled him in Military school when he was 8, that way they could travel. Jazz would always spend every holiday and birthday with us. When my aunt and uncle died, my parents adopted him as their own."

"But his last name is Whitlock," she told me.

"Yes, but his full name is Jasper Cullen Whitlock. There was really no need for him to change his last name considering that he was already named after my father," I told her divulging a little more about our history.

"It was still a way of me honoring my father, even though we were never particularly close. Dad - Uncle Carlisle - is the only real father figure I ever really had," Jasper chimed in, coming back to the table with Alice. "I have been stuck with two brothers ever since."

Bella nodded. "I was an only child," she supplied. "My mother was a nomad and had dropped me off to live with my father who was a virtual stranger to me when I was ten. He's the best dad though that a girl could ever ask for."

She smiled, thinking of her father.

"So Bella, why did you decide on early childhood education?" Alice asked as she picked at the calamari appetizer that the waiter just served. "Why go back and get your associates when you already had your bachelors in nursing? Why take a step back?"

I was intrigued by the question, hoping that Bella would answer it. I knew a couple of things about her, which I learned through the interview and the couple of hours we had together, but honestly it wasn't much.

Bella took a sip of wine again, setting it down on the table. I saw her glance up at Jasper for a brief moment before, looking away, staring at a speck on the table. It felt like an eternity before she answered.

"Well, I don't really consider it a step back, more like a career change. I was working in home health when I first started out in the field. It makes the most money for a new grad, and I had a huge student loan to pay off." She sighed. "I went into the field wanting to make the world a better place . . ."

She trailed off, and started to stare off into space.

"It the reason I wanted to become a doctor," I told her. "To make the world a better place. Home health is really dangerous. I mean, you go into strangers homes. I've heard some horror story from the charge nurses of some of the filthy homes they have stepped into."

"It can be overwhelming," Bella told me. "It's the reason why I quit all together. Too overwhelming. I chose early childhood education because I thought I could make a difference there too. It's part of my nature, to be a nurturer. I've always taken care of other people, it just seemed like a logical career change at the time, and then the economy crashed. I'm just hoping that with the opportunities that Edward has presented me, that I can help him and Juliette a little."

I smiled, listening to her comment. I felt there was something missing from her story though, and from the way the Jasper smiled sadly at Bella, I could tell that I wasn't too far off from the truth. I could tell though from her body stance that the topic of her old life was closed . . . for now. It satisfied my curiosity of the time being, and the more that Bella opened up, the more I was certain that she would still be the ideal candidate for my PA and nanny.

Thinking of which, I pulled out her new Blackberry and handed it to her.

"I took the liberty of programming all the important numbers into the phone," I informed her. "You'll need a Blackberry to keep up with appointments and whatnot. Do you know how to use one?"

She nodded in affirmation, thanking my quietly for everything. I reached over and tucked her hair behind her ears. I didn't want her hiding her profile from me. She was really quite exquisite.

Soon, our food arrived, which lead to a round of pleasant silence as we consumed our food. As I had ordered for Bella, I was interested into seeing if she enjoyed her meal. From the constant humming, and mewls that came from her body with each bite, I could tell that I had indeed made the right decision. It made me smile.

"What are you thinking about?" Bella asked me softly, breaking me out of my thoughts.

"Nothing really," I assured her, as I offered her a piece of my salmon. "Try it, you might like it," I encouraged as I saw the look of apprehension on her face.

She quirked her head to one side, looking at me.

"Do you trust me?"

"What?" She sounded a little taken back. "Of course I do. I just don't like fish."

"When was the last time you had it?"

"Oh, I don't know. Several years back. My father fished a lot."

"Well, this isn't river trout. I want you to try it."

She looked a little skeptical at first.

"You never know if you like it until you try it . . ."

She nodded, taking a bite, looking up at me in surprise. "Wow, Edward, this is really good. Nothing like my father prepared."

"You see Bella, it is all in the preparation and cooking technique. Everything that you once knew can change with just a little bit of change in techniques. Instead of being fried, as most fishermen fry their fish, this has been marinating and baked. Different techniques yield very different experiences."

_BPOV:_

I nodded, listening to his explanation of how the different types of fish and different techniques can completely change the flavor, thus making the experience a very different thing all together. I knew this related to my earlier comments about sex . . . how it was almost the same thing, but completely different all together. This gave me something more to think about. Edward was an extremely smart man.

I smiled, swallowing the morsel of fish, savoring the taste. I had never enjoyed fish before, but this was a completely different experience all together.

"You were right, that was extremely good."

Edward smiled back at me, "I told you. Sometimes you have to try different things."

The double meaning wasn't completely lost on me, and I wasn't completely closed off to the idea, but I was extremely unsure of everything. Could I be everything that he needed me to be?

Dinner passed by quickly, much too quickly for my liking. Soon, I found myself, pushing around the last couple of pieces of pasta on my plate.

Edward paid the check for all of us as Jasper announced that the next time was on him. I smiled, hoping that there would be a next time.

Edward excused himself to use the restroom as Alice did the same, leaving me alone with Jasper at the table. He looked up at me, scrutinizing me a bit.

"You seemed less stress than this morning. I doubt that shopping with my wife would cause decreased stress," he chuckled at his own joke. "What caused your panic attack this morning Isabella?"

I heard the change in Jasper's tone, knowing that he was speaking to me as a my psychiatrist, and not as my employer's brother.

"I was overwhelmed at losing my apartment, of losing the memories that Charlie and I had made over the years. It just hit all at once. There were a lot of changes today."

Jasper nodded.

"Besides, you told me that maybe I could change a little bit in my life," I reminded him of the advice he gave me the last session."

"I didn't mean for you to go out and find a Dom!" He raised his voice a bit. "Or to compromise your safety by moving in with a completely stranger!"

"I didn't know what to do! I was thrown out of my apartment. I wasn't going to impose on my honeymooner friends long . . . and as for the job, I actually just stumbled across the ad Dr. Whitlock," I defended myself. "The other part isn't even set in stone yet, hell, this job isn't set in stone yet. I need to get past the trial week first . . . and then I will think about the extracurricular activities."

"I just think you are making some rather life altering decisions that can influence your recovery. You don't know Edward, how can you trust him?"

"He is your brother, of all intents and purposes . . ." I fired back at him. _Why the fuck was he so against this? I was taking control of my life, something that he always harped on in my sessions._

"You didn't know that when you applied. Please tell me that you didn't meet him at his house."

"No, we met at the park. We actually saved a drowning victim today." I told him.

Jasper looked at me. "You didn't freeze? You were able to perform without freezing or panicking?"

"It was like my instinct just took over," I replied, taking a sip of water. I had switched to water earlier in the meal. I had no intention of getting drunk off wine, just drinking a little to relax a bit.

Jasper nodded again. "That's a good thing . . . we will talk about the brush in the alleyway and talk about your unconventional arrangement with my brother. Are you still going to be making our Wednesday morning appointments?"

"I told Edward of my long standing appointments. I didn't give him any details, I just said I had something to do on Wednesday mornings."

Jasper sighed. "You need to tell Edward everything before you get into the extracurricular activities with him," he advised, his voice sounded oddly familiar to the tone that Edward took with me this morning during my panic attack. "I have no doubt that you are more than capable of taking care of Juliette, but the things that Edward may ask of you later may damage your fragile psyche."

I nodded, looking done.

"Promise me Isabella!"

I nodded, "I promise I will tell Edward everything . . ."

"Tell me what?" Edward asked walking back up to the table.

I shook my head. "I'll tell you tomorrow, I can't deal with it today."

Jasper looked at me skeptically. Edward looked at me with concern.

"I was going to suggest that we get desert at Nona's, however I have a feeling that I could get you home and rested. You have had a lot of excitement today," Edward's voice was full of concern and I could tell that his suggestion was more of a command then a suggestion.

I nodded, agreeing with his assessment. Jasper whispered something to his brother, and Edward nodded. He reached his hand out to me, which I took gratefully, remembering to grab my book and phone from the table as well. I clutched them to my chest as we walked out of the restaurant. I was vaguely aware of his hand at the small of my back.

I shivered as we passed the alleyway, and Edward pulled me closer to him, soothing words in my ear. I settled down, immensely, letting go of the breath that I was unconsciously holding.

We finally made it to the Lexus, as I handed Edward the keys. He opened the door for me, glancing in the back, where the purchases were piled up.

"Oh God! I swear, I wasn't with her in the last two hours!"

He chuckled softly. "Breath Isabella. I know how Alice can get, which is why I sent her with you. You needed to replace everything. Alice surely thought of everything, but she will go out after the end of the week and finish up, if that is alright with you."

"How much more am I going to need?"

Edward shrugged. "If I have it my way . . . clothes that will fill you entire closet. This won't even fill half. Alice was actually being a little conservative."

"She got me two outfits for every single day this week," I informed him. "One outfit for the PA position, and the nanny position. If this doesn't work out, I will find a way to pay you back Dr. Cullen."

"It's Edward, and I won't let you pay me back. This will work out, I just know it. Juliette will love you . . ."

I smiled, hoping that he was correct. Everything was finally going good, for the first time in two years. I didn't know what I was going to do if this didn't work out. Edward slowly slid the car out of the parking lot, driving us back to his house, and to a future both of us desperately wanted.

We entered the house, depositing our leftovers in the fridge. I watched as Edward placed the keys in the drawer, the same as he did this morning. I stopped in the foyer, looking into the office, which Edward had designated as mine.

I entered the office, seeing pictures of Charlie and I on the desk. Some of my books were placed strategically on the shelf, with some other knickknacks that I had accumulated over the years. My degrees were displayed on the walls.

"I hope you like it. My father and Jasper helped. Normally my mother and Alice do the decorating, but they were indisposed of today . . ."

"It's perfect," I whispered quietly as I walked over to the built in bookshelves. I picked up a snow globe.

"Was it a gift?"

I nodded. "My father bought it for me when I was a baby. He had it made by one of the craftsman on the reservation. It was the only thing I used to carry with me as my nomad mother would uproot me again and again. It used to play "My Wish," but the music mechanism died a long time ago." I smiled looking at it. "I haven't talked to him in a while."

"You should call him tomorrow," Edward suggested. Now that I didn't have to worry about running out of minutes on my phone, I think I could actually relax and call my father just to talk. He needed to know that I was okay.

I nodded as I yawned. It truly had been a tiring day.

Edward walked up behind me. "You should go to bed. I'll help you carry up the packages. I assume that Alice got you pajamas."

"She said she did."

He smiled as I took off the heels, opting to walk barefoot on the cold ground again. He armed the alarm and guided me through the house, up the stairs. After setting several of the packages down, he turned to me and smiled.

"I left you some reading material on being a submissive on your nightstand for you to read at your leisure. There is really no pressure for you to attempt this life right now, I'm just letting you make an informed decision before you jump in feet first."

"I appreciate that. And I want you to know that I'm keeping an open mind."

"That gives me some hope. Anyway, I'm a light sleeper and normally don't sleep until late at night, so if you need me for anything, don't hesitate to come find me."

He left a couple minutes later, leaving me alone in my new room and my thoughts.

**AN: Reviews make my day. I read every single one of them. Sorry for the delay, but I was out of town last weekend, and then I couldn't decide if I wanted to include the dinner or not . . . but I do hope that you like it.**

**Coming up: Juliette! I know I promised Juliette last time around, but I won't disappoint next time. This chapter just took on a life force of its own. Also in the next chapter, Bella has a nightmare. **


	7. Chapter 7

_**Chapter Seven**_

BPOV:

I sat on the bed after putting everything away, trying to find the pajamas that Alice swore to me that she picked up. After tearing through every bag, the only thing I could see that would even resemble appropriate sleepwear was a couple of baby doll slips from Victoria Secrets.

_Would it have killed the woman to buy me a pair of lounge pants and a big shirt?_

I sighed, resigning myself to the fact I would have to wear skimpy lingerie until I was paid so I could buy something a little more appropriate, something a little more nanny-like. There was no way I would be able to check on Juliette throughout the night if I was going to have to walk out of my room wearing a black chiffon and lace baby doll set. _How could Alice have thought this was appropriate work wear for a nanny?_

And then it struck me . . . they knew about every aspect that this job entailed.

Jasper had introduced Edward to this lifestyle, so of course Jasper knew, meaning Alice knew - and oddly, the fact that they knew this little maybe facet of our lives, didn't bother me. I had figured all this before, however this fact just hit me square in the face.

I sat down, thinking about the conversation I had with Jasper. Jasper had taken on my case pro bono two years ago after my insurance failed to pay for therapy. He was a God-send, much like his brother. I mulled the conversation over, knowing that I would have to tell Edward everything, but how do you tell someone you barely know about the worst time of your life. I hung my head, taking in a deep breath.

I promised, I needed to do this. Jasper was right, Edward needed to know everything . . .

I changed into the aforementioned lingerie and turned down the bed. In the distance, I could hear a haunting melody being played on the piano. I smiled, hearing Edward's soft docile tunes fill the room.

Edward Cullen was definitely a many of many talents.

The music stopped a short while later, leaving me in silence with my thoughts. How my life had change in mere hours was astonishing! I went from being homeless to having a nice room, a good job, and whereas I know I couldn't define my relationship with Edward as a lover, it would fill the need for physical companionship for the time being

But, could I really deal with this? Become a submissive? I had no clue what it all entailed, besides reading some of the sketch ads on Craigslist.

It was time to make an informed decision, and make some much needed changes to my life. Steeling up my resolved, I looked to the pamphlets that Edward left for me on the nightstand, and picked one up, reading the contents silently to myself. I absorbed the information, which led to more questions of what Edward would expect of me, however I found myself somewhat drawn to the idea.

I glanced to the clock, noticing that an hour had passed since we returned from the piers, and I knew that I wanted to get some sleep.

I turned over, trying to find a comfortable position, hoping that sleep would finally take me.

"_Bella, we have a patient that we need you to go see, a 69-year-old woman with a new PEG tube. Family needs some education on how clean it and how to flush it. I sent Amy out yesterday, but apparently, she never showed up. I have them scheduled for 7:00 tonight."_

_I had just walked in to get my schedule for the day, and was hoping to have a lighter day, but more patients meant more money, and there was nothing I needed more than money. "Do we know what happened to Amy?" I asked._

"_Nope, I tried to call her cell, but she has it shut off again. She probably got into a fight with her boyfriend again," Marilyn scoffed._

"_I heard that Amy and Neal broke up last week. At least that is what she told me when we went to breakfast last week . . ."_

"_Doesn't matter. She needs to be more reliable Bella. I wish that Amy was more like you."_

_I nodded, knowing Amy's reputation. If she didn't want to be found then she wouldn't be. There were several times the nurses were scrambling trying to cover Amy's patients. No one deserved to not have their care delivered to them in a timely manner._

"_Seriously Bella, you are one of the best nurses I have."_

_I smiled at the compliment as I grabbed a donut and a cup of coffee - the breakfast of champions. _

"_I love my job," I replied. I glanced over my schedule, finding that I had Friday and Monday off. It would be a great time to see Dad, considering I hadn't seen him in quite a while. I texted him to let him know I would be on my way around 8 - and he responded - letting me know that he would be on the lookout for me._

_I spent the morning reviewing charts and calling physicians to confirm new orders and calling pharmacies to make sure prescriptions had been filled. _

_The day flew by, but for some reason I couldn't shake a feeling of foreboding. I had tried calling Amy to check in on her, to find out if she was going to see her patients tomorrow, but she still hadn't turned her phone back on. I sighed, pulling up to my final appointment of the day. The seven o'clock new client that was supposed to be Amy's. _

_I jumped out of the car, texting my father to let him know that I would be on my way soon. I wanted to get the appointment over quickly, and from my notes, I could tell that it wasn't going to take too long._

_I walked up, and rang the doorbell. It took a little bit, and there was no sign of anyone inside the house. That was weird. Marilyn had called them to let them know that I was coming today. I even spoke with the physician to review the tube feeding instructions, and had gone to the pharmacy and picked up the formula._

_I rang the bell once again, tapping my foot impatiently. How the heck was I going to leave for Forks if they wouldn't answer the bell. Looking at my watch I decided to attempt the back door. Sometimes people didn't use their front doors. I walked to the back, noticing that the door was slightly ajar. _

"_Hello? It's Bella, your home health nurse. I'm here for Mrs. Brown . . ." I trailed off, hoping that someone would answer me. I rounded the corner and saw Amy lying on the ground. I ran over to her instinctually, turning her over. I immediately felt for a pulse and felt a weak and unsteady pulse._

_The rust smell of blood filled my senses. There was so much so much blood. I cradled Amy to my chest, screaming for the loss of my friend. I grabbed my cell and was tried to punch the number for emergency services, when I heard the unmistakable sound of a gun being cocked back and the sound o f a man laughing._

"_If you want to save your friend you'll put down your phone."_

_I did as he said, throwing the phone a couple feet away from me._

"_Now stand up and come to me."_

_Tears were streaming down my face as he grabbed my hair, since I seemingly took too long for him. I screamed out, thrashing wildly against his hold._

"Bella!"

I snapped my eyes open, trying to focus on the sound of Edward's voice.

"Bella, honey . . . please," his voice sounded strangled.

I steadied my breathing, fighting off another panic attack.

"I'm sorry," I mumbled.

Edward shook his head. "Don't be sorry silly girl." He placed a kiss on my forehead. He then stood and stripped off his button down, handing it to me. "I'm sorry that Alice didn't have enough foresight to buy you some comfortable sleepwear. Why don't you make yourself comfortable then meet me downstairs for some tea?"

I nodded. Tea sounded good at the moment, and whereas the lingerie was beautiful, it wasn't very practical. "Thank you."

He nodded, leaving me alone to gather my wits about me. I walked into the bathroom and rinsed the tearstains from my cheeks and ran a hairbrush through my hair. When I finally figured that my hair was doomed to a haystack until the morning, I decided to throw it back into a ponytail.

There was the sound of a teapot going off on the stove and the sounds of glassware clinking together. Edward changed for bed, opting to be topless and some lounge pants, and was moving around his kitchen quite efficiently. I sat quietly at the breakfast bar waiting for Edward to have everything ready. I heard him sigh softly, as he mumbled incoherently to himself. I padded softly over to him and placed my hand on his bicep.

"Is there anything I can do to help?" I asked softly.

He turned, and shook his head in response. "Everything is just about ready." He offered me a smile. "Would it be completely inappropriate right now to tell you that I like you better in my shirt?"

I laughed, focusing on the here and now, rather than delving back into the dark place in my mind. "Not entirely. I appreciate your thoughtfulness." I sighed, accepting the tea from him as we sat together at the breakfast bar. "I'm sorry if I woke you up, and I understand if you want me to leave in the morning . . ."

"Bella, I don't want you going anywhere. I want to help you," Edward pleaded with me.

I turned my eyes toward him and focused on the words that Jasper told me during our sessions: _you have to learn to trust again_. Was Edward that person?

_EPOV:_

Bella had gone upstairs to get ready for the night, leaving me to my thoughts in this massive house. It was nights like this I really craved my daughter. Her sweet voice and laughter often filled the deafening silence. I made my way to the finished basement, which held the bar. I fixed a Gimlet and ran my hands through my hair. I needed to get my emotions in check. I needed to figure out this situation that I had found myself in.

There was no doubt in my mind that Isabella Swan was going to make a fantastic nanny and PA. I saw her in action in the park with Aiden, and knew that she was the ideal candidate for Juliette's nanny. I fixed another drink, working out the thoughts in my head. We had to get through the first week, and then we would take it from there. I had to have faith that everything was going to work out.

I made my way up the stairs, to the piano room. It had been awhile since I was in the mood to play, but tonight I was in the mood to play. I sat, running my fingers over the ivory, wondering where I was going to begin. There was _Juliette's Lullaby, _but since my precious daughter wasn't here to enjoy it, I couldn't bring myself to play it.

I thought about calling Juliette, but I had just talked to her before dinner. She seemed a little distant, as she always was when she was at her mother's house. I wished my baby girl goodnight already, there wasn't a point behind calling her again.

_Esme's Song_ was always beautifully intricate. There were many minor key changes with a haunting melody. My mother's life wasn't an easy one before she met my father. I had written this song for her when I was in high school, and it continued to be a favorite of hers.

I played softly, hoping not to disturb Bella upstairs. She needed to get her rest today, especially after being attacked. My mind raced with all the possibilities of what could have happened to her, but thankfully none of that was a reality. Jasper and I had gotten to her in time. Luck was on our side this time.

I finished the song and made me way to the office to catch up on some work. Whereas my passion was surgery, my family owned Cullen Pharmaceuticals. Garrett, a research pharmacist, and myself were currently developing and testing a new heart medication. I was supposed to go over the latest numbers today with him, but then everything happened with Bella, and that was more important than work.

Jasper said that maybe I was getting my priorities right.

Whatever that meant.

I sighed, reading through the material. The new drug cocktail was going to need more tweaking, but it seemed like it was going to work in the long run. Now it was time for FDA approval for human testing. I spent a couple of hours working on the proposal when I disturbed by the sounds of screaming.

_Bella!_

I ran up to the third floor and knocked, but there was no answer.

I opened her door and hoped that she would forgive me for the interruption. She was wearing a black chiffon negligee. _Damn you Alice._

Bella continued to cry out, screaming about there being too much blood. I ran over to her, whispering her name over and over again. When that didn't work, and her nightmare seemingly got worse, I crapped her up in my arms, saying her name, until she began to wake from her hellish dream.

_What the fuck happened to her?_

Knowing that she wouldn't be comfortable in that lingerie, I handed her my button down, recommending tea. I sensed some reluctance on her part, but she agreed.

I changed into something more comfortable and quickly made my way around the kitchen. I couldn't believe that Alice didn't buy her more appropriate pajamas. We were going to have to rectify that soon. Bella couldn't be walking around this house in that when taking care of Juliette. Alice knew better. I mumbled around the kitchen, a bad habit that needed to be broken, when I felt her hand on my bicep.

"Is there anything I can do to help?"

I shook my head. Everything was already finished. I poured her a cup of tea, noting how much more comfortable and beautiful she looked in my shirt. At any other time, my ego would have swelled since she was marked, but now wasn't the time for that. I had to get to know more about this woman that I hoped was going to become an integral part of our lives.

"I'm sorry if I woke you up, and I understand if you want me to leave in the morning . . ."

"Bella, I don't want you going anywhere. I want to help you," I told her.

I watched her take a sip of her tea, gathering her thoughts. She closed her eyes, forcing some tears back. She was trying so hard to be strong.

"About two years ago I left my career in nursing because I had a home health job go terribly wrong," she said softly.

"You don't have to tell me if you don't want to," I told her. "What happened in your past is your past . . ."

"But it influences my present and future," she argued with me. "There are things you need to know if we are to pursue your extracurricular activities. It is what Jasper and I were fighting about today. You need to know, you have the right to know."

"I had a job, home health nursing, and a patient who needed some education on PEG tube care. The other nurse that was assigned to her didn't show up the day before, so she was on my schedule. She was my last patient of the day, and I had a long weekend, which I was planning on using to see my father." She sighed, placing her teacup on the table. Bella was shaking. I reached out to her, placing my hand over hers, hoping to give her some comfort.

Bella looked up at me and continued. "I went over to their house and no one answer, so I went around back . . . the door was ajar and I entered. I found Amy - the other nurse - who had gone, but something was terribly wrong. All my instinct kicked in, I ran over to help her, but there was so much blood . . ."

She started panicking.

"Bella look at me. You're safe and in a warm and loving environment."

She nodded, grabbing my hand. "I went to call for help, but before I could, James came out from where he was hiding. He grabbed me and tied me up in the bedroom."

My hold on her tightened. "Bella, oh God. I'm so sorry Baby. Did he . . ." I couldn't finish the sentence. I didn't want to know, but I had to know. She nodded, burying her head in my shoulder.

"My father found me two days later, bound, gagged and barely conscious. I spent a month recovering, and I tried to go back to work, but I couldn't do it. I couldn't go into strange homes. I tried working at the hospital, but started to clam up around all the blood. It would trigger panic attacks."

"What triggered your panic attack this morning?" I asked.

"I suppose it was the strain of all the changes, and the fact I was losing everything I built up after the attack. I had no control over anything, and I didn't like the feeling. I'm sorry." She apologized.

"Don't apologize. I'm so sorry that all that stuff had to happen to you. I take it that you are seeing someone . . ."

"Jasper actually. He took my case on pro bono, since I lost my insurance. He has really helped me reclaim my life. He actually suggested that I make some changes and take control . . ."

"I don't think that Jasper meant for you to go seeking a sexual partner," I shook my head.

"True, but when I saw you ad, it was everything I needed. I needed a job and someone who I could be sexually intimate with again. It has been awhile for me and I need someone I can trust. You are the first man, besides Jasper and my father, who I have felt safe around. I want to try to be your submissive - that is if you still are interested."

There were a lot of things to consider. "As I said before, Bella you will always have a job as Juliette's nanny - providing that the week goes well. Since you have no training as a sub, we will ease you into it."

She smiled softly.

"But I do ask that I go with you to see Jasper so we can talk about your case and triggers. It is my job to keep you safe and protected. I will also push your boundaries, but as I said, we will ease you into it."

She nodded enthusiastically, causing me to smile.

"Thank you Edward."

I looked at her. "For what, I haven't done anything."

"For helping me. You have already done so much more than you know."

I finished the last of my tea and walked to where she was standing, taking her cup from her. "Why don't you head up to bed and try to get some sleep."

She nodded, making her way back up the stairs. I cleaned up in the kitchen, praying silently that good dreams would find her.

Sunday passed, with me having to perform emergency surgery on someone. I reluctantly left Bella alone in the house. I wanted to spend the day with her, helping her get acquainted with everything, but she had assured me that it was fine. She understood that my job was important.

The surgery was long and arduous. A construction worker had fallen from great heights and needed to have multiples surgeons working on him all at once. His heart wasn't as damaged though, and hopefully he was going to pull through.

I pulled up to my driveway seeing my mother's car next to Bella's jalopy that she loved. I smiled, as I entered the house. I braced myself for the feeling of Juliette colliding into me, but surprisingly it never came. Feeling a little bereft, I kicked off my shoes and made my way into the kitchen.

There I saw Bella and Juliette covered in flour.

"Daddy, I didn't hear you come in!"

Juliette flung herself at me and I braced myself to catch her. "How are you Love Bug?"

"Great Daddy! Nana Rachel and Leah had to go someplace today, so Mimi came and got me early! Belwa was letting me help."

"Oh, she did? What are you making?"

"Ghetti and meafballs." Juliette started squirming around, so I set her down, letting her run off to her mother.

"Then why are you covered in flour?" I asked. I know I didn't cook too much, but the last time I checked, spaghetti and meatballs didn't require flour.

"We were making the noodles from scratch. Your mother just called your father, and he is on his way." Bella informed me as she cleaned herself up from the flour. "I told your mother that I was Juliette's new nanny, but I haven't told her yet. I told her that I was one of your friends and that I was waiting for you to get back home. I didn't want to overstep my boundaries."

I nodded. "That's fine. We will explain to her that you work here now, and that you are going to help me take care of her. Jasper said that it would be the best way to let Juliette know you would be part of our lives now. She has been growing up so quickly."

Bella nodded. "I was working in my office, getting used to the schedules and programs when they came in. Juliette immediately asked me what I was doing in her daddy's office. She is quite the grown-up already."

"I know, and I want her to become a little girl again, hence, why you are here. I honestly don't know what I am doing Bella."

"You seem like you are doing a great job," Bella replied, while dropping some of the fresh pasta in the boiling water.

I heard my door open and my father's voice echoing through the house. I made my way over to him, escorting him into the kitchen.

"Bella, this is my father, Dr. Carlisle Cullen. Dad this is my new PA and nanny, Isabella Swan."

I watched as they shook hands, and watched as Bella blushed as my father complimented the aroma of the kitchen. My mother came in with Juliette in her arms. Juliette was giggling over something , causing me to smile. "Daddy your miling!"

I grabbed her from my mother, kissing her cheek. "I have a lot to smile about Baby Girl. I'm happy to see you."

I smiled, hugging her close to me. "Daddy, who is Belwa?"

Bella looked up from where she was at, putting down the spoon and walking over. "Why don't we talk in the living room?" I suggested.

We walked over to the couch, and I held Juliette on my lap, playing with her dark brown hair. She looked up at me with her deep green eyes - the only thing she inherited from me - waiting for the answer to her question.

Bella sat on the armed chair, facing us. I took a deep breath and smiled. "Bella is someone who is going to stick around for a little bit and help me out."

Juliette pursed her lips together in thought.

I looked to Bella for some help. "Well, Juliette, you know how your daddy is a really important man?" Bella asked my daughter.

"Yep, he's a portant doctor."

Bella smiled. "Well since he is so super duper busy, I'm here to help make your Daddy less busy and help him take care of you, that is if you are okay with that. I mean, I would love to stay and help you with everything that you have to do to take care of your daddy."

Juliette smiled. "Daddy takes a lot of work," she replied seriously. "I need helf, you can helf me Belwa."

Bella nodded, smiling at Juliette. Juliette scrambled down off my lap and bounced over to Bella giving her a hug. I watched as Bella picked her up, balancing her expertly on her hip. I felt my heart pull for a moment. It felt like everything was complete and that finally everything was falling into place.

**AN: So now we know about Bella's past and we have Juliette back in the story. I hope that it was everything that you wanted it to be. Reviews make my day. **

**Also, I hate to say this, but I got an anonymous review, which I don't mind as long as they are signed, but when you make such erroneous statements, I can't very well correct you are tell you to read it a little more closely, now can I. Sorry for the rant - I don't mind negative reviews, I mind flames, especially considering that this person didn't read the first chapter correctly.**

**Also - some housekeeping, I'm looking for a beta to bounce ideas off of and to help me proofread that way there isn't a bunch of mistakes lying around. Truthfully, I work a lot and sometimes post hot off the press stuff riddled with mistakes . . . **

**Sorry for the delay, my internet wasn't working and well, real life happens at times. I promise at least two updates a month. And to the readers of my other stories, I have hit a major roadblock with them. Not saying that I won't finish them, just the past couple of chapters I have tried have been an epic fail.**


	8. SeventyTwo Hours Chapter 8

_**Chapter Eight**_:

**EPOV**

I woke up at the ass crack of dawn, wandering what the hell was I doing getting up at three o'clock in the morning. _Hell, the roosters didn't have anything on me today._ I tossed for several more minutes, trying to convince my circadian to cooperate with me, but the damn thing was stubborn. Sighing, I pushed myself out of bed to start work.

Don't judge. You can't be a successful man if you waste away your day.

I made my way down the stairs, completely oblivious to my surroundings. There were many days where it was completely hazy. Edward Cullen needs his caffeine fix as much as the next Joe Schmooze out there. I turned the corner and ran smack dab into a soft body.

_Bella._

I instinctively reached out to steady her, pulling her close to my body. I looked down at her - her brown hair had formed a curtain shielding her face from me. I tucked her hair behind her ears and brought her eyes up to meet mine. Her eyes were red-rimmed and her cheeks were tear stained. I cupped her cheeks, and rubbed the pads of my thumbs against her cheekbones. _Damn, it look like she didn't sleep in days. _This would never do.

"Nightmares again?"

"Yes. I'm sorry if I woke you up."

"You didn't," I reassured her. "I don't sleep very well at times. It's a nasty habit from being a doctor and having a small child . . . sometimes sleep is just elusive." I smiled down at her. "Do you want to talk about it?" I asked as I lead her into the living room.

"It's the same old dream: James coming out of the dark, holding a gun to my head." She closed her eyes. "I can still feel the cold metal of his wedding band as he was feeling me up."

I heard the bitterness in her voice. "That bastard was married?"

She nodded as she tucked her feet underneath her. She looked so young and vulnerable sitting like that. "He was an awful man . . ." she trailed off for a minute.

"My entire life was taken by that bastard in the course of seventy-two hours. He succeeded in taking everything from me. After I woke up, I was bound to his bed. The duct-tape he used was cutting off circulation in my wrists. He fucking stood over me, stroking himself, getting some sick satisfaction from seeing me tied up, whimpering for help." She unconsciously rubbed at her wrists.

"There was nothing you could do." My voice cracked as I tried to give her some reassurance.

"I could have fought him. I could have resisted."

"Or you could have ended up like Amy, beaten and dead!" I exclaimed. I closed my eyes, trying to shake the image of her beaten body out of my mind's eye. That was definitely an image I didn't want there. "You did what was necessary to save your life."

"What kind of freaking life do I have? I was scared to go to work for years, causing me to change professions. I loved being a nurse, and he took that from me," she looked sheepishly at me. "II tried to be intimate with my ex-boyfriend, but he always rejected me. He told me I wasn't fucking ready. . ." By the end of her tirade, she was standing in the middle of the living room, pacing back and forth.

"Are you ready?" I asked her quietly as I walked up to her and stilled her motions. I held my breath, waiting for her answer.

"I'm scared," she admitted. "I want so bad to prove myself that I can be a good PA and nanny to Juliette. I want to be your submissive. I'm just scared that I'm going to freeze when the time comes."

"Don't you worry about being a good PA and nanny. You are a natural at that, trust me. I have never seen Juliette warm up to a woman other than my mother as quickly as she did you. As for my PA, if you are as good as a PA today as you were a nanny last night to Juliette, then I'm positive that you are going to be the right fit for the job."

"But . . ."

I held up my hand to forestall her. "As for the submissive part. I'm a man, I have needs. I'm also a Dom by nature. It's my job to anticipate your needs, bring you and your body to the great heights that it can achieve. I also will punish you if you break the rules."

I felt her stiffen when I said the word punish.

"But if this is still a relationship that you want to pursue, I told you that we - together - will work with Jasper on helping us with your issues. I will always be fair. You will always have some control," I reassured her.

I brought her eyes up to meet mine.

"I want to try something." Her voice wasn't as strong as it was before, but I could tell it was something that she needed.

I nodded, waiting for her to move first. She needed to do this, and I knew it.

I felt her hands come up to my face, and she caressed my face slowly. My skin tingled where she touched, lingering, causing my anticipation to rise. I felt her inch closer, threading her fingers in my hair.

"Kiss me Edward."

I wouldn't have heard her request if I hadn't been so close to her. I leaned in and inhaled her sent. _Damn, lavender and vanilla. _Was that her, or was it her soap? I didn't care. She leaned in the rest of the way, and my lips found purchase on hers.

She sighed, and I slipped my tongue into her mouth, massaging her tongue slowly. My hands roamed up her sides and wound into her hair. After a moment, I stopped my ministrations and looked into her eyes. _She needed to prove that she could do this._

"I'm ready to try. I want to get through the week though as was our agreement."

I smiled. "Agreed. I'll talk with Jasper and set up a time for us to meet with him. We need to know what we are getting ourselves into. I will not risk your well-being," I reiterated.

She nodded, sitting back down on the couch.

Bella started yawning. We sat in silence for several minutes listening to the ticking of the grandfather clock in the formal dining room. I wanted to ask her so many questions, but now wasn't the time. She needed to get some rest.

"How long have you been up?" I asked her.

"A couple of hours. I just came down here for a cup of tea."

"You should get some sleep. We have a long day today."

It seemed like my statement was completely unnecessary. Her eyes were already shut, and her breathing was evening out. I waited a couple minutes, making sure that she had fallen into a deep sleep before covering her with a throw.

I leaned over her and placed a kiss on her forehead, sweeping the hair out of her face. My poor Bella had gone through so much. Now, she was picking up the pieces and putting her life together. _She's so courageous _and it was a trait that I hoped that Juliette would pick up. My little girl was scared of her own shadow.

I grabbed her teacup from her lap and made my way back upstairs to my office. I really did need to try to focus on work, and that was proving to be difficult with the siren downstairs.

I clicked on my laptop and stared at the blinking curser before me. I needed to write a letter to the FDA concerning our latest clinical trials and just couldn't think of a way to get started. I shook my head and stared at the time. It was a little after four o'clock, and I hadn't accomplished anything that I had set out to do since I had gotten up an hour ago.

I let my mind stray to the woman who was sleeping downstairs on the sofa. I knew that she was going to be a good addition to the family. My mom had assured me as much before they had left last night. Trust me when I say, getting my mother's approval is everything.

Throughout dinner, I noticed that there were things that Bella had done for Juliette that even my mother never thought of. Bella had made adult size meatballs for everyone, but Juliette had her own specially made bite size meatballs for herself. This way Juliette could have meatballs that looked just like Bella and Daddy's. It made her feel like a big girl, not having to cut up her meatballs like her mama makes her do.

Then after dinner, when the adults were all having wine, Bella found a plastic wine glass and poured some water inside of it for Juliette so she could enjoy after dinner conversation with us. It was important for Juliette to feel that she was included. Otherwise, trying to get her to bed was going to be difficult.

She had monopolized our time, which wasn't really a surprise. My daughter was a bit precocious, if I dare say so myself. Juliette started off sitting on my father's laugh, telling him a story about her weekend. My father smiled and nodded in all the right places. Juliette was truly the center of our lives.

My thoughts continued to stray instead of focusing on the task at hand.

_Bella._

She truly was a lovely creature. She helped put Juliette down, without me having to ask her, and technically she wasn't on the clock. Bella had helped because Juliette had asked. And for the first time in several months, Juliette went down without a fight, only demanding two stories being read.

_I'm a pushover, but what can I say._

Bella didn't even blink as she began to recite the story of Rapunzel from memory. Juliette was entranced, she had never heard this story before. They way Bella presented it was exciting to my four-year olds mind. Juliette listened with rapt attention, finally falling asleep as the prince was making his up Rapunzel's hair for the last time.

Bella tucked my daughter in, and gave her a kiss on the forehead. _Something a mother should do._

Thinking of Leah got me angry again. I had given her everything, provided her with everything she needed to keep Juliette safe, and she had shaken that trust. I closed my eyes and pinched my nose thinking about my ex. My mother said that Leah had been particularly distant during her visitation, and had cut the visit short for some unknown reason.

"You seem like you are thinking too hard." Bella's sweet voice filtered in through the doorway. "I'm sorry for disturbing you."

"S'okay," I replied. "I wasn't getting much work done anyway."

She smiled, tucking her hair behind her ears. "I woke up - thanks for the blanket by the way - and made some breakfast. I have French toast in the oven to keep it warm. What time does Juliette get up?"

I glanced back to my clock and realized that it was 6:30. I couldn't believe that I had daydreamed for almost two hours.

I got up. "Why don't we get ready for the day and I will meet you downstairs so we can go over what to expect for the day?"

"Sounds like a plan."

I watched her walk away. She was stretching as she made her way back up to her room, exposing her creamy white naval to me. I groaned, as my thoughts started running wild. How could they not with the kiss that we had shared downstairs. _Fuck._

I rushed around, grabbing a short shower. Not nearly long enough for me to flog the bishop today. I pulled on a pair of lounge pants and ran down the stairs to switch on the coffee maker and to pop some toast in the toaster. I rounded the corner and I saw Bella standing in the kitchen wearing my shirt from last night and a pair of boxer shorts that I loaned her. Her hair was wet from the shower she had taken earlier.

_I died and went to heaven._

She was swaying around to the music that she could only hear in her head, humming softly as she was scrambling the eggs. She moved fluidly around the kitchen as if she already knew where everything was after only being in the house for less than seventy-two hours.

Seventy-two hours.

That astounded me. In the last seventy- two hours my life changed irrevocably for the better, and I never wanted it to go back to the way it used to be.

Not wanting to scare her, I cleared my throat not wanting to scare her. She whipped around, and it was like in slow motion. Her elbow caught the handle of the frying pan, and in haste to save the eggs from spilling on the ground, she burned her hand on the stove.

"Shit!"

I ran over to help her to the sink. I hoisted her up on the counter and stuck her hand under the cold water, while grabbing the first aid kit from underneath the sink.

"Thank you," she mumbled as I swiped some anti-burn ointment on her hand.

"For what? Getting you burned? I should know better than to sneak up on you," I said angrily. Her first day on the job and she might as well file for workers comp.

"I'm just easily skittish. Besides, you said the other night that I have to work on my observation skills. You were probably standing there for awhile." She stared at her had as I put a bandage on it.

I nodded. "I believe that you made it through two verses of Hallelujah before I cleared my throat. Still, I'm sorry."

"Accidents happen Dr. Cullen. I'm just lucky that I had already made our plates. They are in the warmer. I was just finishing up the last two eggs."

"You really didn't have to cook breakfast this morning."

"When I woke, I saw the kitchen and thought it might be nice to have a good breakfast for the start of the work week." She replied, staring at the ground.

"It's perfectly fine. Why don't we sit and have breakfast as we go over the schedule for the day." I suggested.

I pulled out a stool for her. I grabbed our plates and orange juice from the fridge.

"So tell me about your morning routines . . ." Bella trailed off as she took a bite of her eggs.

"Juliette gets up around seven fifteen, normally. I get up around five. There is no need for you to get up early to make me breakfast. I hired you to mostly take care of Juliette." I shoved a bite of eggs into my mouth. _Holy shit, these were heaven sent. _I hummed in appreciation.

Bella smiled, tucking her hair behind her ears. "I used to make my father breakfast before his six o'clock shift at the stations. I'm used to waking up early, most mornings. So, I figure if I'm up, I might as well be useful. Besides, I don't like sleeping . . ."

She trailed off, not wanting to finish the statement.

I understood where she was coming from, but we really needed to work on her sleeping more. We went to sleep pretty late last night, she couldn't have gotten more than five hours of sleep. Sleep is important.

I look at her and quirk up an eyebrow. She knew that this was a topic that we were going to revisit.

"Juliette has always been really good in the mornings. She was started on a schedule when she was really young and hadn't really strayed from it. She should be calling for us in about twenty minutes. I still don't let her go downstairs by herself, and she knows that. I would normally be gone by now, but, I don't have to go to the office until after we drop Juliette off, so I can help you with the first day. Plus there are forms that we have to fill out at her school so I can authorize you to pick her up and things like that."

She nodded. I hummed as I started the French toast. _Damn if I didn't hire her to be a nanny, I definitely would have hired her to be my chef._

"Fuck this is good." I mumbled. "Pardon my lack of eloquence."

She smiled and let out a hardy laugh. "I'm glad that you are enjoying it. Your mother told me that you and Juliette enjoy French toast. I hope that I got it right."

"You got it better than right," I told her. "This is phenomenal, better than Esme's. But don't tell her that," I told her smiling.

We finished up the rest of breakfast in companionable silence, only interrupted by the moans and appreciative groans that came from yours truly. Bella's cooking really was to die for.

I glanced up at the clock, noticing that it was a quarter till seven. I turned to Bella who was already by the sink tidying up.

"Leave it for the maid. It is what I pay her for."

"I don't mind, I made the mess, I should clean up after myself."

Edward shook his head. "We normally won't have time for that in the morning. By the time Juliette gets done with breakfast we will have to leave to get her to school."

Speaking of the devil, Juliette was heard calling for me. "Why don't we go up there together?" I suggested.

"Sounds like a plan."

After Juliette's routine, we climbed into the Lexus SUV and drove to Saint Mary's Catholic Preschool. My parents and I were parishioners at the church, and Juliette loved going there. She was bouncing in the backseat, talking about how she was going to start dance lessons.

I grimaced. I had entrusted Jessica to set up these lessons for Juliette, and she didn't. I didn't know what to do. I saw Bella reach over and she squeezed my hand bringing me some comfort.

"It'll work out," she told me softly as Juliette was going on about learning how to dance on her toes.

"Juliette, why don't you tell me about your teacher?" Bella asked as she turned around to speak to her. _Thank you so much for changing the topic. _I was going to have to give her another raise, what did that make, three raise worthy actions in three days. She was racking it up.

"Mrs. Jackson? She's greaf, but not as greaf as you Belwa. Are you staying wif me today?"

"I'm going to get you settled and your daddy and me have to fill out a ton of paperwork. But we will see you after school," Bella explained to her.

"You comin bat?" She asked with a small voice.

I had explained to Bella during breakfast that one of Juliette's nannies had quit during the middle of the day, reasons unbeknownst to me, leaving Juliette at school. Jasper had actually met with Juliette because of her fear of abandonment at school. She hadn't asked about being left in awhile, but I was glad that I prepared Bella with the information.

"Of course Honey," Bella reassured her. Juliette nodded and started to stare out the window, watching the scenery pass us by.

I pulled into Juliette's school behind all the other luxury vehicles that were dropping off the children. Most affluent couples sent their children to Saint Mary's. It had a reputation of being one of the best schools for burgeoning geniuses. The first graduating class of Saint Mary's boasted of doctors and lawyers, but I just wanted my little girl to be happy. And she was happy at Saint Mary's.

We walked hand and hand into her classroom. Juliette immediate grabbed Bella's hand, dragging her over to the cubbyholes.

"Dr. Cullen . . ."

"Mrs. Jackson, how nice to see you again. How has your husband been feeling?" Her husband had experienced a pretty bad fall when he was out hiking. It was miraculous that he made it out with only a broken femur. The injury itself was a bad one, but the fall would have been much worse underneath other circumstances.

"He's doing just fine. He's a big baby about being on bed rest."

I nodded, looking over toward my daughter. I motioned for Bella to join us so I could introduce the two of them and have Bella fill out the appropriate paperwork for access to Juliette throughout the school day. I also needed to have Jessica taken off the list, but I would deal with that later.

I watched as Juliette flitted around her classroom, talking to all the students. She had lingered with one little boy much too long for my liking.

I started to walk over and put a stop to the four-year old scum bag that was seducing my daughter with baked goods when I felt Bella's had on my bicep.

"Nothing is worse than having your father embarrass you . . ." she trailed off.

"Sounds like you speak from experience Ms. Swan."

"That I do." I could hear the smile in her voice. "Charlie was overprotective, and I could see why, especially with the way things turned out. But, Edward, if you embarrass her now, she will rebel later."

"Is that some kind of Jedi mind reading thing . . ."

"No. When girls are born, they take us to the back of the nursery and give us instruction manuals on how to annoy our fathers when we get older. It's a rite of passage. Seriously though, Dr. Cullen, just let your daughter enjoy a home baked chocolate chip cookie."

I nodded, knowing that Bella was right. A minute later, Juliette wiped her mouth and ran over to me, crushing her little body into my legs.

"I luff you Daddy!"

"I love you too Pumpkin."

"I'll see you later Juliette," Bella said, crouching down to Juliette's level, smoothing out her hair. She gave Juliette a hug and stood back up smoothing her skirt.

I placed my hand on the small of her back, feeling the urge to touch her again. _Should it have always been this easy?_ With Leah, the relationship had been forced because of the conception of Juliette. She would have never been my choice of women to bare my children.

Don't get me wrong, I love my daughter, but Leah's a pain in the ass.

After Leah, I threw my life into taking care of Juliette, putting her needs before my own, and now, it was time for me to get a little bit of it back.

"So what's the plan Boss?" Bella asked as she climbed into the SUV.

I stood by her open door, kicking a stray pebble into the parking lot. "Well, I figure we get on with the rest of our lives. I'm ready if you are." The double meaning was clear behind my words.

"Lead away," she replied as I closed the door.

This was going to be one interesting ride.

**AN: My apologizes for the lack of updates. This chapter had been giving me some troubles. I went through numerous rewrites until I found something I felt was good enough for posting. I want to give a shout out to my beta - Tvobsessee - for helping me with grammar and giving me suggestions on how to make this better. Without you, this chapter would have stunk.**

**As always, show the love and review. I hope you guys have a wonderful weekend.**


	9. Chapter 9

_**AN: Here is the next installment. I want to thank my betas for all their help.**_

_**Chapter Nine:**_

**BPOV:**

My eyes snapped open, to the darkness. I always had trouble sleeping in strange places ever since I was a little child, and since the incident with James, my phobia heightened. I knew that if I attempted to go back to sleep that my mind would drift back into another nightmare, and I didn't want to chance waking up Dr. Cullen again. I had seen him go into his room after tucking Juliette in, and I knew that he was going to need his sleep. I didn't need him hearing me scream out again. The last time was embarrassing enough.

Edward, _Dr. Cullen_, was actually a wonderful, doting father, unlike some of those fathers that were in essence sperm donors. I watched their night-time routine, knowing that because of his job that Dr. Cullen would be unable to perform the ritual itself. It was fairly obvious with the attention that he lavished on her that his love was genuine. It warmed my heart.

My new employer was somewhat of an enigma to me. How could someone be so tender, so loving, but also be a sexual dom who used whips and chains on people? _Could those two things really go hand and hand? _Hell if I knew, this was the first time I ever found myself in this type of situation.

_Damn, I'm over-thinking things again. _Jasper told me I had to tendency to do that kind of stuff. My new living situation would bring a lot of new topics for us to talk about on our Wednesday session . . . I only hoped that Jasper would be able to give Edward and I some good insight on how to work through some of the situations that I was sure to find myself in . . . that is if he still wanted me to be his submissive.

So far, everything was going well. I had survived the morning-barely at that-but survived nonetheless. We had gotten through some fairly emotional baggage, and to my surprise, he wasn't repulsed by me, as I was sure he would be. James had done some awful things to me when I was his captive, and there were days that I felt like I was spiraling out of control, back into that hole he kept me in. But Edward pulled me out this morning. He wanted to help me, but who would want someone so broken, so plain, so undesirable?

I hazard a glance over at Edward, who had placed his hand on my back, and was leading me into The Cullen Building. We passed by several beautiful receptionists, all of whom were giving me the evil eye as we passed. _Was it jealousy? Or was it anger? _Whatever the looks were for, I didn't have time to ponder it as we swept quickly past them.

Edward quickly explained a little bit about the Cullen Building. It was a fifty-story building that his great-grandfather, Richard Masen, built for Grayson Cullen for the conglomeration he had planned to build for the ground up. Great-grandfather Cullen was hailed as a visionary, and had left very big shoes to fill. I wouldn't want to be in Edward's shoes.

The Cullen Building was massive. It housed Cullen Medical Incorporated, which was the parent company to his family's medical practices and Cullen Pharmaceuticals. The other offices were rented out to other medical practices and small businesses.

We made our way to the elevators pretty hastily, and true to form, I tripped in my heels, and was bracing myself to meet the marble floors when two strong arms wrapped themselves around my waist, keeping me upright.

"I'm so sorry," I stammered through my apology. A deep crimson color adorned my cheeks. I was never really graceful.

"It was the oriental rug's fault," Edward replied, causing me to laugh. He had a way of making me feel comfortable even in the worst of situations. "I'll have it removed as soon as I get to my office."

"Please don't. It's truly a piece of art, and should be admired. I'm really just a klutz."

He smiled. "Is that so?"

"Yes . . . my mother tried putting me in ballet, but I really sucked at it. There is no better word to describe it other than completely sucking." I shrugged my shoulders. I was long over my colossal failure at becoming a ballerina.

Edward laughed. "I'm sure you were good."

"I knocked over the background props for my classes' five-year old version of Swan Lake . . . luckily Charlie decided that I would cause more injury to myself and convinced Renee to take me out." I trailed off for a moment. "Which brings me up to an idea . . ."

"Yes, Ms. Swan?"

"I have a friend who runs a ballet studio. I could give her a call to see if she would take Juliette on in one of her classes."

"I don't want it to be an imposition on her." Edward sighed. But I could tell that he really wanted this for Juliette.

"Trust me, Rosalie wouldn't take on another student if she didn't have the room. She's fairly tough like that, but I could place a call and see," I told him, knowing that Rosalie would never deny a child the experience. Rosie was actually a softie like that, except for when she was doing her true love-running her mechanics and body repair shop. It was actually pretty lucrative.

"I'd appreciate that. I don't want to disappoint Juliette. I should've never trusted Jessica with that task." I could hear the regret in his voice.

"What's done is done. All we can do is try to fix it and move on," I told him. "Besides, you are Juliette's world. You can do no wrong in your daughter's eyes."

Edward smiled and thanked me for the compliment. For someone who was so self-assured, he really needed to see himself as a better parent than what he did. Sure, he worked long hours, but he loved his daughter. That was plain as day, and sometimes that was all that mattered.

He hit the button, calling for the elevator, groaning a curse underneath his breath when a metal screeching sound was heard reverberating throughout the elevator shaft. "This elevator was always a little temperamental. It might be awhile. I'm going to call maintenance. I'll be right back."

I nodded, watching him walk to the receptionist desk in the lobby. I finally had a chance to study my surroundings. The walls were adorned with beautiful artwork, complementing the modern architecture that was the building. I stopped and stared at one picture, which was situated by the side of the receptionist desk. Edward was standing behind me, close enough to where I could feel his hot breath on the back of my neck.

"My mother picked that painting out. I never had the chance to really sit and look at it," he volunteered to me. "The only time I ever come through here is when I have to get a new employee set up with orientation."

"It's Schwere Rot by Wassily Kadinsky," I told him, staring at the picture still, mesmerized by the bright colors. "I took a couple of art appreciation classes in college for some easy credits when I was in nursing school."

Edward smiled. "Smart and cultured. I knew there was a reason why I hired you."

He looked back at the desk, trying to find the receptionist. "I can't get you up stairs until the receptionist gets you to HR to get you registered . . . and until the elevator is fixed."

I looked at him blankly.

"Since we are doing drug research and development on some floors, we keep this building under lock and key. I have an office on the research floor and a medical office where I see patients on the second floor. I spend most of my time, though, in surgery. I just try to keep a presence in the building from time to time. I'm going to spend the day getting you up to speed on my schedule and showing you the in's-and-out's of the office since you will be doing 10-20 hours a week here."

I nodded.

"But first, I need to find Sophie, the receptionist." He turned to me, looking at me in the eye. His gaze was intense. "Isabella, this is new ground for the both of us. I have never worked with someone that I am going to be intimate with . . ." He scrubbed his fingers through his hair. "I'm trying to work out a system so we can both be equals while you are my nanny and PA . . ." He trailed off, trying to address the elephant in the room.

"I understand completely Dr. Cullen," I replied. "We can go by Dr. Cullen and Ms. Swan when I'm on the job, or you can call me whatever you would like, considering I'm in your employ."

He threw a crooked grin at me. "I'm thinking Dr. Cullen when we are at the office, and when we are taking care of Juliette we can stand to be a little more informal."

I nodded, agreeing with his idea. When we were at the office, we, of course, would have to be slightly more professional with each other.

"Now where the hell is Sophie, she really is getting to me right now. I swear, I don't want to get rid of her, but I will if she doesn't show up in the next five minutes."

He picked up the phone, and attempted to figure out how to page her with it. Just as he was figuring out the switchboard system, a little girl with strawberry blonde hair, brown eyes, and cat-frame glasses walked up.

"Dr. Cullen. I'm so sorry, I didn't know that you would be in today. The calendar has you taking a day off."

I felt bad for her as she stumbled through her words. Edward was giving her the 'stink eye'. _Damn, I wouldn't want to be on that receiving end._

"May I inquire to where you were? Last time I checked, Cullen Medical, Inc. was paying for you to answer the switch board, Ms. Johnson, not screw with the new pharmaceutical intern."

Just as the poor girl was getting ready to explain, Edward's pager went off. He groaned, staring down at the offending device.

"Ms. Swan, this is the hospital, I have to see what's going on. I'm going to call them back outside while maintenance works on the elevator. I trust that Sophie will take you down to human resources and then bring you up to my office after you get your palm print set up for the elevators."

Sophie nodded her head as Edward made his way up to the elevator to speak with the repair man.

"Ms. Swan, I'll see you in a couple of minutes," he reiterated as he started to the revolving glass door.

I heard Sophie sigh from behind the desk. She was looking down at her nails, reaching for the file.

"We have a couple of minutes. Laurent down in HR is out until 10:15," she explained. "I was screwing him, not the new intern." _Wow, can we say inappropriate much._ "But, I wouldn't mind getting my claws into Dr. Cullen. I heard you are his new PA and nanny."

I nodded as I leaned against the counter, relieving some of the pressure on my feet. I really needed to find some different shoes, and hopefully some new pajamas before the day's end.

"So how long have you been working for Cullen Medical?" I asked.

"About a month. It really isn't too bad working here. Though, I wish that I could have a chance to move up, if you know what I mean."

I gave her a look of confusion.

"You know, I want to move up the social food chain, and hopefully snag one of the last remaining Cullen bachelors. Sure, Edward has a kid, but I'm sure I could convince him to let the brat live with her mother. That is, _when _we get married. I heard he has a thing for banging the employees in his office. I'm hoping I'm next."

I looked at her and snapped. "Please," I pleaded with her just to be quiet, "I don't want to know anything else. I work for Dr. Edward Cullen as his PA, and I really don't need to know about his sex life, or anyone else's sex life for that matter."

She shrugged her shoulders and continued on talking to no one in particular.

I tuned out her excessive babbling and drooling over my boss, but she didn't even seem to notice. She just sat back, yammering on and on as she filed down one of her perfectly manicured nails. I looked down at my own nails, staring at the haggard look of my cuticles. I then caught a look of myself in the mirror, and noticed that my hair was falling out of place with all of the running around we had to do. There was no way I was going to fit in her with the strawberry-blonde princess and other beauty queens that ran around this office.

I closed my eyes and started to count to ten to even out my breathing, as I felt a panic attack start with my feeling of unworthiness.

_Maybe this was too much, too soon._

_Maybe Jasper was right._

I squeezed my eyes shut, trying to count to ten, trying to stave off the effects of the PTSD that I fought against everyday.

"Breathe Isabella," a familiar voice coached. It wasn't Edward, but it was someone I knew fairly well.

I looked up and saw Jasper walking toward me, with the look of concern on his face. He took my wrist in his hand and took my pulse rate, smiling when he was satisfied that my heart was indeed still beating normally.

"Is Sophie bothering you?"

"No, she has really been quite helpful in getting me up to speed on all the Cullen Medical gossip." I rolled my eyes as Jasper let out a deep belly laugh.

"That's Sophie for you. I found that if you just tune out our second cousin, she will just eventually be quiet."

I snapped back to look at her. "You guys are related?"

"Yep," she replied, snapping her gum. "This is why Edward won't fire me."

"What about wanting to "do" him?" I asked using air quotes. That was kinda gross if you asked me. Edward let out a tinkling laugh as he walked in, hearing parts of the conversation.

"God, that would be the worst kind of incest," he groaned. "What did you say to Bella?"

"Just a little test to see if she was just like Jessica. God, that girl came in here the first day talking about how she was going to bag one of my cousins. I mean, I know that I look nothing like them, but it's still a little uncomfortable having to listen to her talk about the ways she wanted to fuck you guys. Gross . . ." Sophie replied, answering my question.

"I swear that girl was a walking disaster. I told you not to hire anyone because Emmett told you about her. The gold-digging whore. What the hell where you thinking? I mean, Edward, when did you listen to Emmett, and why did you start doing it now? And don't worry, you passed with flying colors." She smiled at me and looked at Jasper and Edward. "Laurent should be back in HR by now. Do you want me to take her?"

"No, I have some free time before I head to the other office. Bella will be fine with me," Jasper replied. "Edward has to run up to his office to take care of things. I hope you don't mind if I walk with you to HR."

Edward nodded as he looked at me apologetically. "I need to go through a file real quick that I have up in my office about a patient that I'm consulting on. Jasper has volunteered to keep you company while I'm busy."

"No, that's fine," I replied. "Thanks for keeping me so entertained Sophie."

"No problem. Take good care of Juliette. I can tell that you are going to make a good impact on that little family," Sophie told me as she walked us part of the way down the hall.

"Thanks," I replied as we approached the end of a long hall.

She nodded and walked off, leaving me and Jasper alone. Jasper opened the door, and held it for me. I thanked him as I walked through. Jasper kept in step with me, deep in thought. I looked over at him and saw a concerned look on his face.

"Were you having a panic attack back there Bella?"

I knew it wasn't really a question. He knew what was happening, he just wanted me to acknowledge the fact that they were still happening. I nodded, acknowledging the attack I just had about thirty minutes previously.

"What caused it?" he asked, probing softly.

"I was feeling overwhelmed by all the changes. I thought I was ready, but what if I'm not? I don't want to let Juliette and Edward down. . ."

Jasper smiled. "Slow down, Bella. It is normal to be overwhelmed. Starting a new job is overwhelming. I would expect that from anyone."

"So feeling panicked is normal?" I asked, staring at the ground.

"Yes and no. You have abnormal stresses in your life, compounded by the PTSD. We will talk about other coping strategies during your session as the attacks seem to be happening more frequently again. Is Edward going to be accompanying you to a couple of the sessions?"

"I have agreed to letting him come to a couple. I told him about the attack and a little bit about James . . ." I trailed off, not wanting to remember anymore.

"How did he take it?" Jasper asked.

"He seemed a little angry by the whole thing, and surprisingly not repulsed by me." I told Jasper honestly.

Jasper closed his eyes and halted his movements, reaching out to stop me as well. He looked me in the eyes and held my attention. "You are not repulsive. I want you to repeat that over and over in your head. James is the repulsive one. You did nothing wrong, Bella. You need to see yourself, and the situation, more clearly."

I nodded, listening to his advice. I wanted to get better. I needed to get better. I had a family depending on me know, and I didn't want to let them down.

Once Jasper felt that I understood the meaning behind his words, he dropped his hands from my shoulders. "You know, I was against this arrangement from the get go, but now I have a feeling that you would be very good for my brother. Edward hasn't really let anyone in. Leah was only allowed in his life because she was pregnant. I'm already seeing little changes in him that only you could have brought in him."

We approached the desk and Jasper walked me through some of the paperwork. Soon, we were through the official hiring process and Jasper was leading me up to Edward's office on the pharmaceutical floor. We walked through the sterile halls and stopped at double doors.

"Place your hand on the palm scanner. Laurent should have your information in by now."

I placed my hand on the palm reader and surprisingly the door opened. I didn't think that HR ever worked that quickly on things. We entered Edward's office, which was decorated in warm tones, a stark contrast to the hospital like halls which we just walked through.

"I have to get going now, but Edward should be here soon. Please make yourself comfortable."

Jasper left leaving me to explore Edward's office. The walls held numerous certificates and awards, which made it seem almost cold and impersonal. But, when I looked on his desk, there were several pictures of Juliette, from a sonogram to her current school picture. He definitely loved his little girl.

I picked up the Blackberry and called Rosalie.

"Rosalie Hale . . ."

I chuckled at how Rose answered her phone. She obviously didn't realize it was me with my new number.

"Rose, it's Bella."

"Bitch, I stopped by your apartment to only see that you had been evicted. Ray then told me that you got a different job, but didn't tell me where. Where the hell have you been for the past three days! Please tell me that you didn't get kidnapped . . ." she trailed off realizing her word choice. "Shit, Bella I'm sorry."

"It's an expression Rose. I'm fine," I calmed down my friend. "It really is my fault. I should've called you sooner."

Rose grumbled something in response, but I didn't bother finding out what she said.

"I need a favor." I told her, interrupting her ramblings.

She stopped her grumblings. "What do you need?"

"I started a job as a nanny and PA to Edward Cullen. His last PA . . ."

"Wait, did you say you are working for Edward Cullen, the Edward Cullen. He was on Oprah's list of most admirable bachelors. How the hell did you land this job?"

"Thanks for your vote of confidence Rose," I muttered sarcastically.

"Oh, Honey, I didn't mean it like that. I mean, people are clamoring to work for him. I didn't even know you were thinking about working for the medical field again."

"I'm not working in the medical field. I just answered an online ad for a nanny position and it turned out to be Edward Cullen. Now, his daughter Juliette, really wants to start ballet lessons, but his last PA never scheduled the lessons."

"Enrollment is now over for most major dance studies, including mine, but I think I can enroll Miss Juliette Cullen. How old is she?"

"Four," I answered. "I really appreciate this Rose."

"No problem. Classes start next week. Stop by the shop and I will give you a list of equipment that she needs."

"Thanks Rose."

"No prob, anything for you Chick."

I ended the call after getting more details and hoped on my Macbook, downloading the information on to my Blackberry. I left the calendar up, knowing I was going to have to use it when Juliette would be starting at The Dancing Rose next Thursday. I looked out the window, staring out at the city below me. I didn't realize how high up we were.

"Everything seems so much smaller when you're looking down at it," Edward said walking into the room. "Enjoying the view?"

I nodded, watching the cabs below us. "The cabs look like ants. Almost like I could squash them if I could step on them," I commented. "I normally don't like heights, but for some reason, I feel safe."

"I'll take that as a compliment. I know how hard it is for you to trust people, and I appreciate the fact that you are trying for me and Juliette," Edward told me, walking towards the wall of windows. "From up here it feels like you have power, that you are almost God-like. I never feared heights."

"Is there anything the famous Edward Cullen is afraid of?"

He shrugged, shoving his hands in his pockets.

"According to Oprah, you're scared of spiders."

"They're creepy looking . . ." he trailed off. "I'm scared of a lot of things, I just don't let it rule me. Fear does nothing other than cause a hindrance. I'm a busy man, one of the heirs to a multi-million dollar industry, and a father. I don't have time for fear."

I smiled at his assessment. "You fear the disappointment of your four-year old."

"That's an obvious one Ms. Swan. No father ever wants to disappoint their child. Jessica's screw up . . ."

"Has been fixed, if you approve of the studio. Rosalie said that she could start Juliette next week with her next class of four-year olds on Thursday. She said we can stop by the studio and check it out. We also have to pick up the equipment list."

"Equipment? Last time I checked, dancing was not a sport."

I chuckled. "Don't let Rose hear you say that. She'll scratch your eyes out. Dancing requires shoes and tights, leotards . . ."

"I get it Ms. Swan. So how did your morning go in HR?"

"Laurent was friendly. I'm in the system and now have access to the building. I filled out all the paperwork with Jasper's help and clocked into the system. Now, I'm just ready to learn about what you need me to do as your PA."

Edward nodded. "Well, Cullen Pharmaceuticals is responsible for holding luncheons and galas from time to time. You would be helping coordinate those. Also I need someone to keep me on my schedule. I have a tendency of just needing some direction from time to time on where I need to be in between these jobs of mine. Jessica was supposed to be planning a gala in two weeks, but it seems like she has dropped the ball and it will be moved to October instead of August. I'll get you the specks on that."

I nodded, taking notes, making sure that everything was in working order. After getting acquainted with his secretary from his medical office, a couple hours later, everything was in working order, and it was time to call it a day.

_Time really flew._

The next thing I knew, Juliette was in the car, babbling on about her art project and wanting to see the ballet studio. Everything was falling into place.

**AN: I hoped you enjoy it. Reviews rock my socks!**


	10. Chapter 10

_**Chapter Ten**_

**BPOV:**

I knew when I took the job that Edward's schedule was going to be a hectic one, but what I didn't realize was how little time he would actually have for Juliette. Every morning, I woke up at five, Juliette would wake up at seven fifteen, and would have breakfast together. Some mornings, Edward would join us, on other mornings, he would be completely passed out from an emergency surgery or a late night at the office.

I had accepted this job a week ago, and luckily, the nanny and PA portion was something that I seemed to be natural at. I would drive Juliette to school, then I would head over to the Cullen Building to work on the gala, or meet up with Rosalie for a girls day. Today was Wednesday. I was going to have to be at Jasper's office in a couple of hours. Last week, I went alone. Edward was supposed to come, but was called away on a massive trauma team, but it worked out so I could discuss things with Jasper about my arrangement. The talk went well, but Jasper wanted to talk with us both. This week, Edward would be coming with, and I was nervous.

Jasper warned me that we would have to work on pushing me to extremes to see how I would respond in situations. It wasn't something that I was looking forward to, but understood that it was necessary for the progression of my healing, and to see if I could actually function as a submissive. Jasper said that the emotions that a submissive would feel would be intense, and I needed to know how to deal with the onslaught of emotions.

I was prepping Juliette's snacks of carrots and pretzels, completely lost in my thoughts, when I heard Edward entering the room. I went to the coffee maker and gave him a cup of coffee, preparing it the way he liked it.

"Thank you Bella," he said gratefully. I smiled, looking at him. His copper hair was in disarray, as always, and he seemed a little tired, but he still looked at gorgeous as ever.

"You're up early. You could have gotten a couple of more hours of sleep before having to meet me at Jasper's," I told him, taking a sip of coffee.

He shook his head ruefully. "I'm heading into the hospital for a couple of hours to follow-up on the trauma patient that came in last night. I didn't do my charting last night, and should really finish that up."

"I heard you come in. It was really late. Are you sure you don't need me to drop you off?"

"I'm sorry for waking you, and I'm fine to drive. I've run on less sleep, the perks behind being a single parent. I really am sorry for waking you," he told me as he took a sip of his coffee.

"I'm just a light sleeper. I fell back to sleep soon afterward," I told him.

"So you didn't have a nightmare."

I shook my head. The nightmares were becoming less frequent as I was becoming more comfortable in my surroundings. I smoothed out the shirt that Alice had picked out for me and sat next to him at the table. I had a couple of minutes before Juliette would be joining us.

That child was like clockwork.

Juliette went down at eight and was up at seven fifteen. Then she would start brushing her teeth and get changed for school. Then at seven thirty, she would come downstairs and want breakfast. Luckily she wasn't a picky eater, so we would alternate between a home-cooked breakfast or cereal. I plated some eggs and cinnamon toast and brought it over to Edward.

"You didn't have to serve me Bella."

"I know," I replied, "But I was making a plate for Juliette and myself, so I figured I would make one for you as well. It really is no big deal."

"I thought that today would be a cereal day," Edward said quirking up his eyebrow at the spread in front of him.

"Well, I decided to shake it up a bit," I told him standing to retrieve some juice for Juliette. She should be gracing us with her presence at any moment now. I heard her coming down at a fast pace, which I was going to address with her. There was a strict "no running on the stairs" policy at the Cullen house. Edward shook his head as well, muttering something about her being too much like him.

I braced myself for the thirty-five pound onslaught that was Juliette Cullen. She barreled into me, wrapping her arms around my legs like she did most mornings.

"Good morning," she sang out.

Edward cleared his throat, making his presence known to his daughter.

"Daddy!" she ran over to him and sat on his lap. Edward sighed with contentment and stroked her long brown hair. "You miss "freder" last night."

Edward looked to me for clarification.

"We had Fettuccini Alfredo last night. There is some left over in the fridge."

He nodded, lifting Juliette off his lap. He kissed her on her cheek, promising to be home for dinner tonight as he had to head to work of an hour. Juliette sighed, looking at where he just left.

"I miss Daddy, Bella." Juliette sighed while putting on her backpack.

"Juliette, he's just a busy man. He's really . . ."

"Potant. I know."

It must have been a line that she has heard for most of her life, and I felt bad for her. I smoothed out her hair and helped her buckle her shoes. Maybe Edward could make some time for Juliette, and soon.

I turned into the parking lot and watched my young charge run off into the schoolyard. As most mornings went, I stayed and watched for a couple of minutes, making sure that Juliette was settling in okay.

"It gets better after the first week," a voice interrupted my Juliette watching. "You must be Dr. Cullen's new nanny."

I turned and saw that a beautiful woman with dark grey eyes and black as night hair was talking with me. Her skin suggested that she was of mixed decent, and she had a flawless complexion to boot. "I'm Mikayla Newton, the nanny for the Foster twins. They are in Juliette's class. Kylie and Emma adore Juliette. Camille and I used to do play dates. Maybe we can set one up again."

"That would be great," I replied. It was true. I wanted Juliette to have more interaction with children her age. She was starting ballet tomorrow, so that would help with her socialization, but other than that and school, she spent most of her time with me or with her other various tutors. Esme had warned me of Juliette's schedule.

"So, how long have you been a nanny?"

"Juliette Cullen is actually my first charge," I answered her, watching Juliette play on the swings with the twins.

"I heard that Dr. Cullen is a real slave driver," Mikayla said as she took a sip of her coffee. "Juliette has gone through five nannies in three months."

"Dr. Cullen isn't a bad employer. It's really just me and Juliette most of the time. Dr. Cullen's schedule is so erratic that we might see him at breakfast one day, and then dinner two days later. I can see the need for a live-in."

Mikayla nodded her head. "Amanda, one of her nannies, said that his schedules were brutal. She wasn't a live-in."

A comfortable silence passed between us as we watched our wards play on the jungle gym. I held my breath as Juliette dangled with one arm.

Mikayla smiled. "They can give us heart attacks, but without them, we would have no hearts." She grabbed a pen and wrote something down on my hand. "It's my number. Call me with any questions. Being a nanny is fairly easy, but there can be gray areas, and if you need me, I'm here."

"I appreciate that. I have to run to an appointment, but I will call you soon to set up the play date."

"Sounds good Honey."

I pulled up to Jasper's office. It was my understanding that he had several throughout the city, and luckily I had always gone to his satellite office across town, rather than his main one in the Cullen Building. I can imagine what the gossip mill would be whispering on about if they knew that I was going to Dr. Jasper Cullen for psychiatric help.

I sighed and shrugged on my jacket as I ran to the front door. A slight drizzle had started and I knew that the rain was about to start.

I walked into the reception area and sat in the chairs. Mimi, the receptionist for this office, smiled, recognizing me immediately.

"Bella, I heard you started a new job."

I quirked up an eyebrow, wondering where she heard this information from. It's not like I knew very many people, and I preferred it that way after the incident.

"Don't worry, Dr. Jasper didn't say anything. Ray told me when I went there two nights ago for dinner. You were always my favorite waitress."

I rolled my eyes. "Mimi, I was horrible at that job, and I know it. I dropped more trays then I could count on two hands."

"But you were always entertaining."

"Mimi, don't you have anything better to do, rather than to bug poor Bella?" Jasper asked with a slight southern drawl. I remembered that Edward said he was originally from Texas, but had grown up with Edward here. With as much time I had spent with Jasper over the past year, I had never heard the accent before, weird.

"Dr. Jasper, I suggest you put away the accent. It doesn't work on old biddies like me. That southern drawl won't work on me, no sir." Mimi rattled on, straightening up the magazines. "Besides, I'm sure Ms. Alice wouldn't want you picking up women who are old enough to be your grandmother."

Jasper chuckled and waited for me to enter his office. I saw Edward standing inside, running his fingers through his hair. I took a seat in my normal chair as Edward took the chair directly opposite of me, still looking a little anxious.

"Did Juliette get off to school alright?" he asked.

"Yes. I met the nanny for the Fosters. Would it be alright to set up a play date for Juliette on one of her free afternoons?"

"Sure," Edward replied.

Juliette kept a pretty busy schedule: gymnastics on Monday, Spanish tutoring on Tuesdays, and dance on Thursday. But, truth be told, Juliette wanted to do these things, and wasn't the busiest child in her pre-school.

"Edward, Bella, I'm sure you guys didn't come here to discuss Juliette's schedule," Jasper said, breaking into our conversation. We were stalling the inevitable, and he knew this. Jasper sighed, pulling out my file and perched on his desk in front of us.

"Dear God Jasper, is this how you approach all of you patients?" Edward snickered, referring to Jasper's stance.

"Quit stalling dear brother," Jasper snapped. "We need to have a serious talk and figure out if Bella can handle what exactly is involved in becoming a submissive. I won't have you two going into this situation blind, knowing her past . . . if something goes wrong, then you could seriously hinder her progress she has made in the past year."

I listened to his words, absorbing what he said. I didn't want to regress into the person that couldn't leave her apartment, but I needed to take back that part of my life that James took from me. And the only way I could do this was by placing my trust in Edward.

"Are you two ready to start?"

I nodded.

"Okay Jazz, where do we start?" Edward asked with a hard edge to his voice. I could tell he was on edge with not being in control right now, something completely out of the ordinary for him.

"We are going to do a proximity exercise. Bella has issues with letting men within two feet of her."

Edward quirked an eyebrow up. He studied me closely, trying to find the words. I knew he was thinking of the kiss we shared over a week ago, and the other times he had been in close proximity with me. I honestly didn't know why I didn't freak out when I was around him, all I knew though is that I didn't, and considered in major progress on my part.

"How did you function as a waitress then?" Edward finally asked, settling on something safe. He didn't know that Jasper knew about the kiss we shared.

"Ray knew about my past and kept a close eye on me. I rarely had any issues in the family friendly restaurant. Some single guys got a little handy once or twice, but Ray quickly kicked them out," I told him. "So, how do we do this exercise Doc?" I addressed Jasper.

"I want you at one corner of the office and Edward at the one diagonal from you. You will then progress to step toward each other . . ."

"I don't understand. I have already told you that I feel completely safe with Edward. Hell, we even kissed," I told him. "How is this going to help?"

"Well, in order to get to take a step closer to each other, you are going to have to fill Edward in on part of your past. You are going to have to tell him about the attack with James."

"I already know about it," Edward interjected.

"You don't know about the details," Jasper said. "Some of the things he did to her may seem like a role play situation in our lifestyle. Hearing her story, _in its entirety, _will help both of you identify triggers that you can work through, or avoid all together." He explained patiently.

I closed my eyes, not wanting to divulge much more, but I knew I had to. Edward needed to hear the entire story, not just the edited version. I stood, with determination, and walked over to the corner that Jasper had mentioned. Edward and Jasper moved the furniture out of the way, then, Edward took his place.

Jasper nodded to me, and I closed my eyes, gathering my thoughts, focusing on the task at hand.

I sighed. "James Tracker. That was his name. There are days when I close my eyes, and he is all I can see. His face, taunting me, telling me that I'm not good enough for anyone."

I shut my eyes, hearing Jasper's words from the previous week in my head. _I wasn't repulsive. _I opened my eyes, steadying my breathing, seeing Edward and Jasper's face. I could tell that Jasper was proud of me using his technique he taught me.

"Good Bella. Both you guys can take a step forward."

In my new spot, Jasper nodded for me to start again. "Edward, it was two years ago . . . you know the gist, but you don't know what happened after he put the gun to my head and pulled me into his bedroom. James was ranting on and on about how Amy wasn't the right build, but how I was perfect. He immediately tapped my mouth shut with duct tape and ripped my clothes from my body."

"Take a step forward," Jasper interrupted, watching mine and Edward's reaction.

"He tapped my hands above my head to the headboard, and had my legs out in a spread eagle position when he raped me the first time," I whispered. "He kept telling me to relax, that it would get easier. That's when I knew he meant to keep me for a long time." I started hyperventilating feeling the panic settle over me again.

"Bella. . ."

"Edward, don't. She has to work through the panic on her own."

I was vaguely aware of Edward and Jasper arguing as I got me breathing under control. _I wasn't repulsive. I wasn't there anymore. Edward's here. Edward will keep me safe._

Edward took in a deep breath, swearing a low oath at his brother, as I was coming out of the panic. I took a deep breath, silently congratulating myself on another victory. Most of the time, I needed Jasper to pull me out of the haze.

"Take a step forward."

"He raped me," I repeated. "He would whisper vulgar things to me, telling me that no one was missing me, that no one cared. I was weak and unimportant. Too trusting, stupid. All I wanted to do was help some old lady in need. He kept me tapped to the bed. The sound of duct tape terrifies me."

"Bella, look at me," Edward demanded softly. I brought my eyes up to meet his. "You aren't stupid. You are intelligent and amazing. You should be cherished, worshiped, brought to heights you didn't even know existed. God, Baby . . ."

"Take a step forward."

I edged closer to Edward. "I was so scared. Scared for Amy, scared that I would die. Scared that no one would miss me if I died."

"Don't say that," Edward screeched. "You would have been missed. But, that's beside the point, you are strong, courageous, beautiful. You are loved."

"I know that now."

"Take a step," Jasper told us softly.

I could feel Edward's essence now, and it brought me some comfort. "Continue Bella," Edward encouraged.

"He raped me a total of six times. He got off on hearing me begging him to stop. One time, he took a whip to my back to hear me scream. He then bandaged me up and left me naked and bound. My father found me three hours later."

I don't know when it had happened, but I was wrapped up in Edward's arms, and he was pushing my hair out of my face, wiping the tears off my cheeks. I melted into his arms, as he whispered promises into my ears. Promises to take care of me, promises to never betray the trust I showed him today.

Jasper left, leaving us for a moment to retrieve some water. When he returned, Edward looked at him murderously.

"What the fuck did that accomplish Jazz? Was making her relive the worst nights of her life worth it?" He ranted. Edward paced, trying to focus on something, but not knowing what. I could feel the anger that he felt toward the situation rolling off of him. He was angry, but not with me, at James. Jasper approached his brother, trying to calm him down, to bring him down off the anger that he felt, but I made it to him first.

"I went to you willingly," I whispered. "I went to you for comfort. You are virtually a stranger, but yet I trust you. This was to show me how comfortable I am with you. No one, besides Jasper and the police, knows what happened during that weekend. I didn't know, until now, that I could be so comfortable with someone. I'm always worried that they are going to judge me, see me as a victim. But you don't see me as that."

"No, I don't see you as a victim, I see you as a survivor."

Jasper nodded, giving me a bottle of water. "Bella's right. She needed to see it for herself."

"But she has gone to me before," Edward said. "The first couple of nights. Hell, we even kissed," he argued.

"But now you know everything, and you still wanted me to come to you. You accepted me for everything, with all my baggage," I told him. "You know now that I hate having my wrists bound. Are you going to be able to work with me on this?"

"You still want to do this?" Edward asked me incredulously. "There is a lot of bondage involved. I will be able to work with you through this, and we can do some trust building exercises. I'm not going to throw you into a situation that you can't handle."

Edward stopped his rant, looking at Jasper. "Is this safe for her?"

"Edward, you are an excellent Dom with all the right training. Bella is willing to work through her fear of bondage. The fact that all this will be willingly, shouldn't have a negative impact on her healing. I would suggest though that you guys have communication sessions though after play time."

Edward nodded, agreeing with Jasper. I understood what they were talking about from the reading that I had finished on D/s situations and dynamics, but still was getting used to the terminology. Edward looked over at me, grabbing my hand.

I was shocked by the sudden movement, but calmed myself quickly. Jasper saw, but chose not to comment.

"Bella, I promise you that if this is something that you want to pursue, with me, that I will take care of you always."

"I trust you completely Edward."

He cupped my face, looking deeply in my eyes. "I want to try something."

I nodded, knowing I was safe under the watchful eyes of Edward and Jasper.

"Close your eyes . . ."

I closed my eyes, feeling my heart rate increase as I brought the darkness on myself. When James held me captive, I promised that I would never feel vulnerable again, but I did.

I felt Edward's presence all around me. His lips descended on mine. I felt out of control, not like when I had initiated the kiss. But, I understood what this was: an exercise of trust, and I did trust him. I surrendered to him, taking everything he was giving me.

He broke the kiss, locking his eyes on mine. I felt naked underneath his intense gaze.

Jasper cleared his throat, effectively breaking the trance.

"I would say that Bella is ready, but exercise caution. And I want to continue joint sessions with you guys every other week."

Edward shook his head. "Jazz, you're my brother, I love you and all. I don't want to discuss my life in the playroom with you."

Jasper chuckled. "I don't want to know what you did in the playroom, I just want to make sure that you guys are communicating well, discussing the emotions you will feel. I don't want to know about my brother and whips and chains."

"I understand," I said, knowing that it would be a good thing to unwind and talk with Jasper about it. Edward nodded as well. I turned to Jasper, who wanted me to stay and talk, knowing that I would need some time to unwind. Edward understood, and needed to check his email, so he left, leaving me with Jasper so I could decompress and analyze the feelings that were running through me.

**EPOV**

Bella and I headed to the docks, a tourist part of the city, lined with little restaurants and high-end shops.

We had stayed longer at Jasper's office than what we had intended, but it was needed. She finished up her session, as I went to the spare office and waited for her. I thought I knew what had happened to her, and I did, but Jasper was right, I needed to know all the details.

If James Tracker wasn't in jail and protected by guards, I'm sure that I would be hunting him down to kill him for what he did to her. A man like that didn't need to be roaming this earth ever again, but at least I could rest easier knowing that he was locked up and not a threat to her anymore.

I had heard some of her nightmares when I came home late at night. She truly had lived through hell, and now was fighting her way back. So many things had happened to her during her ordeal, and she had risen above the ashes. She was reinventing herself into someone stronger, someone new. And I admired her for it. She was so fucking strong, she didn't even realize it.

I looked over at her as she was singing silently with Kings of Leon. I started filing little pieces of information for later reference.

"Where would you like to eat?"

"It doesn't really matter to me. I don't really have a taste for anything."

I nodded, pulling into the parking area for the docks. There was a little Italian place, which I'm fairly sure she would enjoy. Out of the ten dinners that she cooked for us, five had been pasta dishes. Not that I'm complaining, it was all fantastic. I was bummed that I couldn't be there for some of the dinners, but I made what I could, hoping that I could eventually slow down. Juliette deserved to have me around more.

"Are you settling in well with Juliette?" I inquired as I guided her to Mangia.

"We have a good routine," she replied as we entered.

The hostess was eye-fucking me, but I paid her no attention as I pulled out Bella's chair. I kissed her softly on the cheek, mostly to stake my claim, but to get the hostess away from me.

"I hope you don't mind, but she was making me feel uncomfortable," I told her apologizing for my overture. "I'm sorry if I overstepped any boundaries you might have."

She shrugged her shoulders, but I could tell that the wheels were turning in her head. "Dr. Cullen, how are we going to manage our relationship? This is something completely new and foreign to me."

"It is for me too, Isabella. But, I think we can work through it. We will remain professional at work, as well we should, but we can be a little more relaxed around the house. As _my _submissive, I would require though that you just remain respectful to me. Most doms have their subs call them sir or master when not in play, but since I have a child in the house, I don't find that necessary."

She nodded, absorbing the information.

"But I haven't collared you yet, so the formalities for right now don't really matter. I've told you before that you are naturally submissive."

I trailed off, watching as she tucked her long hair behind her ears. The waitress came, and I ordered for the both of us, as she wanted me to.

"Dr. Cullen, when do you want to start?" Bella asked, her voice breaking me from my not-so pure thoughts.

" I did say that there would be a part two to the interview, and it will be this weekend, to see how we function together in a D/s situation. Juliette will be with Leah this weekend, so it will be the optimum time. I don't have any hospital time on Friday, so I'll drop Juliette off at my mother's at four, and we will have a trial weekend. Is this okay with you, or do you want to wait another two weeks? I don't want to pressure you or anything."

"You aren't," she reassured me. "You have helped me so much with everything. I want to reclaim my life, and you are instrumental in that."

I let the gravity of her words wash over me. I knew that she was rebuilding her life slowly, and the fact that she saw me as instrumental and a big part in that, made me feel honored and humbled at the same time. She was truly extraordinary, and if she let me, I would worship her the way a man should worship a woman.

I couldn't wait until this weekend, when I could show her how amazing she was.

**AN: I decided to send this out unbeta'd, so any mistakes made are mine. Anyway, reviews rock my socks, so press the button and feed the ego.**

**I am planning on posting a couple more stories soon, keep an eye out. **


	11. Chapter 11

_**Chapter Eleven**_

I had decided to give Bella some time off on Thursday, allowing me to spend some quality time with Juliette during her first ballet class, and let me tell you, it was a hoot. My daughter was a little ham - spinning and tiptoeing in all the right parts - and smiling like she was born to do it. I beamed like a proud papa, as she danced her heart out. I didn't want to miss out on something like this, and I'm glad that I didn't.

Bella was a godsend for sending Rosalie Hale into our lives. I would forever be grateful to the two of them for helping Juliette's dream come true. Juliette babbled constantly about the experience, and how excited she was for next week. It almost made her forget that she was going to her mother's house - almost.

I put Juliette to bed, only having to read Rapunzel twice, and made my way through the house. I stopped and stared at the numerous pictures I had displayed of her on the wall. I hated the weekends that she had to go to her mother's, but I really enjoyed being able to do the things I wanted to do without having to answer to my four year old.

I headed down to the basement, cliché, I know to put the playroom in the basement, but there was a hidden wall panel, so Juliette would never stumble across it. I entered the room, staring at the maroon colored walls which were draped with chocolate covered fabrics. Isabella would look stunning sprawled out next to the dark fabric. It would be a stark contrast against her alabaster skin.

I walked over to the various canes and whips that were displayed. We hadn't gone over any hard or soft limits, but that would be a discussion that would take place before we would do any sort of playing. I had no clue how to go about asking her what her limits would be, but we would have to be open and honest in our communication.

_I hate it when Jasper is right._

There were so many things that we would be able to use to enhance each other's pleasure, and where as I was extremely well educated on how to use these various devices, I wanted to make sure that Isabella would be able to handle these things. I thought back to first night that Bella had stayed with us, not just two weeks ago. She had woken up to an awful nightmare.

When she had turned to put my shirt on, I noticed a long thin scar that ran down from her shoulder blade and had disappeared underneath the black chiffon nightie she was wearing. I wondered what would have caused the scar, and then I found out.

_Fucking James Hunter._

What a fucking coward. I remember hearing about the story two years ago, and was completely repulsed by that sorry excuse for a man did to those women. But now those women had names, faces. My Bella was one of those women.

My fist hit the wall and I screamed at the injustice. That fucker had used a whip on her, tied her up, _raped_ her.

She was so brave and I was not going to let our situation cause her any more trauma or pain. She couldn't handle that, hell, I couldn't handle that.

I walked back over to my canes and whips. There was no way I was leaving them out for the test run weekend. I was extremely skilled in handling the whips and canes, but I didn't want Isabella to be overwhelmed on her first day. The last thing I wanted was for her to have a panic attack and leave me because she saw the devices on the wall.

I sat on the edge of one of the benches, putting my head in my hands. Isabella Swan was rocking me to my very core. Jasper had warned me to get a hold on my emotions, and I knew that I needed to. I looked around the room one last time, pleased with the new setup. It would do nicely for my plans for the weekend. Isabella needed to be eased into the lifestyle, not shocked into it.

A soft humming could be heard as I made my way up to the kitchen. Bella was home. I cleared my throat, letting her know I was in the room.

"You know, I'm getting better at figuring out you are behind me," Bella teased slightly. "I have been working on paying more attention to my surroundings, as you suggested a couple of weeks ago."

"How did you know I was here?" I inquired, taking my usual stool at the breakfast bar.

"You smell," she replied. I could hear the smile in her voice.

"What do you mean? I assure you that I don't have body odor."

"Oh God . . . that's not what I mean, sir . . ." she stammered.

My cock hardened at the sound of her calling me sir. Around the house, she normally just called me Edward, but at the office she would call me Dr. Cullen. The slip of the tongue had me intrigued. Or maybe, it was her upbringing, with her father being a cop, maybe she was just more respectful than the general population. I took a deep breath, willing my body to calm down. I couldn't go walking around like a hormonal teenager with my junk raised a full mast. It was fucking embarrassing.

I chuckled, letting her know that I was joking around with her.

"Just so you know, you actually smell really nice, all sunshine and male." Bella admitted softly. She placed a cup of tea in front of me. I smiled gratefully at her. "What were you doing downstairs? I mean, if that is okay for me to ask."

"Of course," I told her. "I was preparing for the weekend trial."

"Oh." She broke her gaze from me, settling on a spot on the ground. "How do you prepare for something like this?"

"I was rearranging my playroom a little bit. I put away some of the whips and canes, and set up a scene for us. I take my roll very seriously. I won't do anything that won't heighten your pleasure, or bring you hurt."

She stopped staring at the spot on the ground and looked straight at me. I could see the question in her eyes.

"You would never hurt me though," she whispered.

"Never Bella," I reassured her. "I am very skilled with canes and whips, but if those are hard limits for you, then I won't introduce them at all when we play."

"You enjoy using them." It wasn't a statement but a question. I knew to answer her honestly. The only way our unique situation would work was if we were both open and honest about what we wanted and needed.

"I do, but only if you will allow it. You have power in the dom/sub relationship. But, we don't have to discuss all of this tonight. Why don't we just relax for a little bit? Juliette went down right after ballet. She couldn't keep her eyes open enough for dinner at McDonalds."

Bella smiled at the mention of Juliette. "How did she do?"

"She cheesed it up."

"She's quite the little ham. You have done a wonderful job raising her."

I smiled at the praise. "It's hard being a single father to a daughter. I constantly worry about if I am raising her right, raising her to be strong and independent."

"You are," she assured me. "She wants to be a doctor just like you. Edward, you are her hero, don't ever forget that. She worships the ground you walk on, and misses you when she can't spend time with you."

"I have been so busy lately, but my schedule should be freeing up soon." I finished up my tea and gathered our cups. I glanced up at the clock, noting the time. "It's early, would you like to watch a movie with me if you don't have plans?"

"No plans," she assured me. This was another topic that we would have to talk about tomorrow. If Bella decided to wear my collar, there would be no other men in her life. _I don't share._

"Do you have any preferences?"

"Not really. I haven't watched very many movies in the past couple of years."

I nodded, walking into the great room, pulling out _Hancock_. Bella walked into the living room several minutes later with two cans of soda and a bowl of popcorn. I smiled at her gratefully, as she sat next to me.

"This is nice, you know?"

"What's nice?" She asked me while grabbing a handful of popcorn.

"Being able to unwind with you after a long day. It's nice," I answered opening up my diet Coke.

I pressed play and we both fell engrossed with the movie. About an hour in, I heard Bella's breathing level out, and figured she had fallen asleep. On quick glance at her confirmed my suspicions, she did fall asleep. I took a minute to look at her sleeping form, knowing that I would stand by my promise to never hurt her. I played the scene I had planned for our weekend over in my head. It was nothing to terribly difficult, more of a way to see how she would respond to several different D/s scenes. More elaborate scenes would come later.

I picked her up and steadily made my way up to the third floor. I hadn't been up here too many times since it had been completed, but noticed already how Bella had already made her imprint on the rooms. Pictures of her father and mother were on her nightstand, and some shoes and clothes laid scattered about. It made the room feel homey instead of the catalog feel it had before she came to stay with us.

There were also changes not just with the house, but with Juliette. She laughed more and smiled more. I had worried for awhile that Juliette was growing up to quickly, but now, she was acting like the child she should be. Jasper had assuaged my fears during his session with her this week.

I stopped by Juliette's room and checked in on her, switching on the built in monitor. Upon closer inspection, I saw that Juliette had kicked off her covers. I tucked her back in, when she began to stir.

"Daddy?"

"Yes baby." I could hear the sleep in her voice, and knew that she would fall asleep quickly again.

"Did Bella come home?"

"She sure did Sweet Pea, now go back to sleep." I told her softly. I kissed her forehead, smoothing her unruly hair.

"Did you tuck her in?" She yawned out.

"I did."

"Good." She snuggled deeper in her pillow, and I knew then that sleep had claimed her again.

I made my way down the hall and quietly closed the door of my study, turning on the baby monitor. Juliette normally didn't need me once she went to sleep, except for when she had to go to Leah's house. Had it already been two weeks again? I sighed, cursing the stupid judge for her belief in second chances. If Leah screwed this up, I would fight tooth and nail to keep her from gaining access to my daughter again.

I stepped out to the scrubs I had been wearing all day, and dressed into some casual jeans as I tried to collect my thoughts. I poured myself a drink, and strolled over to the desk, wondering what I was going to do.

After hearing about Bella's past, I knew what I needed to do, I needed to help her and protect her. But there was no way I wanted to set her back in her recovery. This was going to take some thought.

I sighed, running my hands through my hair. I know I needed help, and I knew just where to get it from.

I picked up the phone and dialed the familiar numbers, hoping that she wasn't busy. Lara and I had met during a party. I was new to the lifestyle and needed a teacher other than my brother, and she was considered the best around. She taught me so much, that I knew I could depend on her now.

"Edward how nice to hear from you ,dear. It's been far too long."

"That it has been Lara, how are you doing?"

I heard her hearty laugh, as I imagined her sipping her wine with one of her "toys" at her feet.

"I'm doing well Edward. I actually got married a couple weeks ago to my long time submissive. We are very happy, so if you are calling for a session . . ."

"It's not like that Lara. I'm actually very surprised that you're married. You were always saying that this lifestyle and marriage doesn't mix," I told her as I was taking a sip of the Gimlet.

"You can make it work if you try. Patrick and I certainly do . . ." Lara trailed off. "So I take it you didn't call me after two years just to chit chat. What do you need Edward?"

"You always call me on my bullshit, don't you?" I sighed, pulling my hair again. I pinched the bridge of my nose, trying to figure out where to start.

"Edward, if you are pulling your hair, or pinching your nose, I swear that I'm going to take you over my knee and spank you. And don't think that I can't."

I could hear the teasing in her voice. Lara knew me all too well.

"Edward, I heard through the grapevine that you were looking for a new submissive," She stated.

I wondered how the community knew, but knew that the rumors would fly when they heard that I was looking.

"I've finally decided on taking on a new submissive," I told her softly.

"That's great Edward. You haven't had a good one, well ever. I tried to warn you about Leah, but you refused to listen to me." She chastised me. "That no good, cocaine snorting bitch . . ."

"Lara, I didn't call you for a stern talking too." I needed to stop her rant and get her back on focus.

"Speaking of Leah, have you ever found a way to keep her away from Juliette? I can't believe the courts gave that coke snorting bitch visitation." _So far with getting her focused. _I sighed.

Her assessment of Leah was completely correct. "Supervised visitation. My mother is the liaison."

"How did that manage to work?"

"Since Juliette is so young, the judge wanted a family liaison, and since my mother is trained in that area, the judge thought it would be best to have her there. You know, to give her a sense of unity. It also gives me a sense of relief. Leah won't fuck up if my mother is there."

"Well that's nice. So tell me a little bit about submissive."

"Her name is Bella. She hasn't had the easiest of times, and she has some issues with trust . . ."

"That is a huge problem Edward," Lara told me cutting me off. "I mean, the basis of a D/s relationship is complete and total trust."

"I know Lara, and we have made some a lot of headway. She has trusted me with her past, and I know that we can work past it. Bella has had to work some things. And that is the reason why I called. I need to know what kind of exercises we can use to help her work through her fear of having her bondage, more specifically with her wrist."

"Ah, that could be a problem, but here is what you do . . ."

I listened to the process that she described, hoping that what she was suggesting would work for the two of us.

"Belwa . . . Daddy!"

The sound of Juliette screaming shook me out of my sleep, and glancing over at the clock and noticed that it was a little after 1 in the morning. Groaning, I pulled on a pair of pajama bottoms making my way to her room. I heard the soft sound of humming as I approached and was astounded to find Bella already in the room, rocking Juliette softly.

"No Mommy . . ." Juliette babbled.

"It's alright Baby," I reassured her as I walked into the room.

"I don wanna go to Leahs."

I scoped her up in my arms, and began singing softly to her. She must have had a nightmare about Leah. Juliette was prone to getting them the day before she had to go the Leah's.

Her sobbing subsided and she fell asleep in my arms. I tucked her back in and laid my hand on the small of her back. I guess it was time that Bella got some insight into Juliette's short life.

We went into the kitchen and I started some tea for the two of us. Bella had been eerily quiet, which was somewhat disconcerting. I poured the tea and sat next to her on the sofa.

"That was heartbreaking to see her like that," Bella said softly. "What the hell did her mother do to her to cause her to have those nightmares?"

I sighed, closing my eyes wondering how to start this conversation. "I was fresh out of med school when I met Leah. She was graduating from Seattle U with a degree in pre-law, and I was fresh to the scene," I told her, letting her know how Leah and I met.

Truthfully, it wasn't always that bad with me and Leah. Sure, we had problems, but every couple has issues. Ours though, were irreconcilable.

"After one night of weakness, we discovered that Leah was pregnant, and she wanted to get an abortion . . . " I trailed off, remembering how Leah argued that there was no way we could raise a child together. I didn't want to raise her with Leah, I was dead set on becoming a single father.

"She wanted to do what? How could she even thing of doing something like that! Juliette is the sweetest, most loving. I better not meet her in a dark alley," Bella grumbled. I smiled at her reaction. It had only been two weeks, but I could tell that they had already bonded deeply.

"Leah is a piece of work," I said, interrupting Bella's rant. "I ended up paying Leah to keep Juliette. Best use of some of my trust fund yet."

"She didn't want Juliette, so why does she have visitation right now?"

I sighed, continuing the story. "Unbeknownst to me, Leah had some major drug issues, and Juliette was born addicted to meth. Leah disappeared soon after Juliette's birth, leaving me to raise her on my own. There were nights I was up all night long, and working twelve hours the next day. I could have done it without my mother, and then Camille.

"But, when Juliette was a little over a year and a half, Leah came back, showing up on my door, begging for a chance to get to know her daughter. I was going to let her. I wanted Juliette to have a chance to know her mother, but all Leah really wanted was my money. And that is all she is trying to get. After I discovered several thousand missing from a dummy account I had set up, I confronted her. Leah was still on drugs. Now, Leah claims that she is drug free, and she really wants to get to know her daughter. She begged some bleeding heart judge named Sam for a chance to reconnect with her daughter. Juliette was three when the court proceedings started, she has had to go to Leah's for two months now."

"So when did her nightmares start?"

"The first visitation. Juliette was crying, clinging to me, begging not to let her go. Leah's a complete stranger, and she grabbed Juliette from me, strapping her into the car seat. It traumatized her."

Bella nodded. "I don't want her to go there," she whispered. "Leah sounds horrible and she should have left well enough alone."

"My mother goes with as the court appointed liaison now. I feel bad that she has to give her weekends up, but she didn't want Juliette going alone. Now, I breathe a little easier, but I hate that she has to go too," I admitted softly. "It tears me up that she has nightmares of Leah." I moved to place our teacups in the sink, and felt her standing behind me.

Bella wrapped her small arms around me, trying to bring me some comfort. "I know it's not much, but it's all I can offer you."

It was enough.

My mother came to collect Juliette around noon, and after a lot of tears, mostly from Juliette and Bella, we were left alone in the house that was all too silent for my liking. I was up in my house, staring blankly at the newest drug report, when I let out a frustrated cry. Nothing was getting done to my liking, and well, let's just face it, my thoughts were with a certain striking brunette who was down in her office tweaking my social calendar.

The journey downstairs was much too long for my liking, as I felt my resolve start to slip. We needed to sit and talk about what was going to take place in a couple of hours. She needed to voice her fears to me and I needed to have my expectations for the weekend clear to her. I was going to take is slow because of her circumstances, but there would be things that would probably distress her even though this was her choice.

I knocked on the doorframe, letting her know that I was there.

"Is your boss a slave driver or something?"

"He actually is pretty good to me most of the time," Bella answered shyly. "Is there something you need Dr. Cullen?"

"Please call me Edward," I reiterated. We were at the house working, nothing too formal. "I was coming to take you out for lunch. There are a lot of things that we need to discuss before we start the weekend trial."

She nodded. "Let me go upstairs and change. I'll be ready in five minutes." She told me, seeing that I was dressed in charcoal gray pants and light blue button down shirt.

Approximately five minutes later, she greeted me at the doorway, wearing a periwinkle sweater dress with heels that made her legs look impossibly longer.

"You look beautiful," I told her, helping her into the sweater she brought with her.

"I'm not over dressed am I?"

"No, it's perfect."

We took my Audi and made our way to The Greene, a local restaurant known for excellent cuisine and privacy. The hostess was standing directly in front of us as we entered. I had rented the private dining area for the afternoon, knowing that the discussion about the NDA and contract with limits would be lengthy and we would need privacy for this.

The hostess led us through the crowded restaurant to the quiet back room. I thanked the hostess for her services as I pulled out the chair for Bella. I sat in front of her, sipping from the wine I had ordered last night when I was booking the room.

"You really didn't notice Miss Perky Boobs oogling you, did you?" Bella said, breaking me from my thoughts.

I laughed at the nickname she had given the hostess. "Bella, I have been dealing with women throwing themselves at me since I left the awkward phase of adolescences behind. I just ignore most women anyway. I have no need to pay attention to them, when I have someone like you around. You, Ms. Swan, are all I need right now."

She nodded, looking at me. "I assume that this lunch is a precursor to what you expect of me tonight, Dr. Cullen."

_Good girl._ She was already getting herself into the mindset by switching to my more formal name.

"Yes, I thought it would be nice to talk about expectations on both of our ends while enjoying a good meal. I booked the entire room for the next couple of hours. No one will bother us other than the waitress."

"You seemed to have thought about everything Dr. Cullen."

"I'm a Dom, it's in my nature. Now, let's talk about your nature, your wants, your needs. I expect for you to be open and honest with me Isabella."

She flushed for a second, ducking behind her curtain of hair. This wouldn't do. I reached out and caressed her cheek.

"There is no need for embarrassment right now," I assured her. "We need to talk about things, especially given your background."

She nodded in agreeing with me and was getting ready to speak when the waitress came in. Bella gave me the go ahead to order for her, trusting my tastes, as she seemed to be gathering her thoughts.

Once we were alone again, I could tell she was struggling to figure out where to start. Finally after several minutes of silence, she began to speak.

"I did a lot of research on our relationship. There were a lot of things to consider, and I don't regret wanting to do this with you. I'm worried though that I won't be able to give you what you need, and that is my job."

I looked at her, wondering what she meant.

She sensed my confusion, and clarified. "It's your job as a dominant to make sure my needs are met, to push me to levels only you can bring me to. It's my job as your submissive to be able to give you myself fully, to trust you unconditionally, and to give you everything that you need. What if my panic attacks and past keep me from bringing you pleasure? That wouldn't be fair to you. I want to bring you pleasure too," she explained while staring at a spot on the tablecloth. "I want you to be happy with me."

I smiled at her admission. We were getting off to the right start, open and honest communication. I reached out, bringing her gaze to mine.

"Listen to me Isabella. There is nothing that we can't work through. There will be times where I do push you, and you may have a panic attack, but it isn't anything that we can't work through. I will protect you, work with you, and worship your body. As long as you want to serve me, I will accept your submission and work with you through everything. It won't always be easy, but we can make it work."

Tears formed in her eyes, and I wiped them away. She assured me that those were tears of joy, that she felt safe with me, and that she wanted to continue discussing the finer points of our arrangement.

I handed her the paperwork as our lunch arrived. Throughout lunch, we discussed her limits. Caning and whipping were understandably a hard limit, but she said that as she became more comfortable with me, that she would reconsider her limits. Bondage was marked off as a soft limit with understanding that we would work toward eliminating the fear all together. Amazingly, there wasn't as many hard limits as I thought there would be. The only limitations she put on role play was no rape scenes, which I understood completely.

We sat in silence after hashing out the details, enjoying a little bit of desert. I feed her a bit of cheesecake off of my fork, something out of characteristic for me, but seemingly easy to do with her.

I helped her into her sweater as we made our way out of the restaurant.

As we turned into the estate, I noticed the time. I had two hours until the weekend trial officially started, and there was so much more prep I wanted to have done.

I turned to her, as we walked into the house. "Isabella, meet me in the basement at the bar in two hours. If you are completely committed to this weekend I want you to be completely bare and ready for me. Do you understand?"

"Yes sir."

With that, I turned, leaving the house for the next couple of hours. I needed to get my wits about me if this was going to be a successful weekend.

AN: Sorry it has been awhile everyone. I am sending this out unbeta'd only because I kept it from you long enough. I didn't mean to take that long of a break, but I had been going through some major changes with my full-time job and have started a new job search. I also rewrote the chapter about four times, just not happy with the direction I had it in, and I wanted to get them to the playroom sooner rather than later. Please bare with me and send me your prayers that I find a job that will be just as fulfilling as my last job.

Coming up: their first time together in the playroom.

I'm a little nervous about it, but as I should be on vacation for the greater part of this week, I might be able to get it out to you sooner rather than later.

And last but not least, reviews rock my socks.


	12. Chapter 12

_**Chapter Twelve**_

**BPOV:**

My nerves were getting the best of me as I made my way down the stairs. I had opted to wear a robe down to the bar. It felt a little strange to be traipsing through the house stark naked. There were only fifteen minutes until I had to be at the assigned place, and the butterflies in my stomach were flapping their wings a mile a minute.

"Bella, stop it, this is what you want . . ." I chided myself as I made my way through the kitchen. I decided to make myself a cup of tea to settle my nerves before descending the stairs to the basement.

I was being silly. Maybe I wasn't nervous, maybe it was anticipation.

There were weeks of reading the material, internet surfing, and sessions with Jasper, which led me to make my decision. It was finally time for me to take the next step in reclaiming my life. This was something I _wanted_ to do. I needed to do this.

There were no words to describe in how I felt when I finally made my decision to reclaim what James had taken from me. I felt empowered and strong, something that I hadn't felt that since the whole situation two years ago. I was ready for my life back, to live without fear. I was ready to feel whole again, and the more I got to know Edward Cullen, the more I knew that he would be able to do this for me.

I was so lost in my thoughts that I didn't hear him entering the kitchen.

"I like the black robe."

I glanced up at the clock, I still had ten minutes until the weekend started.

"Thank you," I replied, sipping my tea. "I felt a little weird walking around your house stark naked."

He smiled, giving me a devastatingly crooked smile.

"I'm sure I wouldn't mind seeing you like that. And, Bella it is your house as well. You have lived here now for two weeks now, and I hope you are beginning to feel like that this is your place as well. It's not just a place you work, but a place you live."

I smiled. He was always saying things like that, trying to make me feel comfortable. He had no clue how much the kind words and little gestures meant to me. The first day we met, he saved some of my items from the dumpster. He didn't have to do that, but he did.

Edward made me feel protected.

And I wanted to give him a part of me back.

I walked down to the basement and hung my black robe on the hook on the wall and sat in the chair where Edward had instructed me to wait. He didn't want me stepping into the playroom without him around to properly show me the equipment and explain how things were going to work.

I sat on the barstool, with my head bent and my eyes lowered to the ground.

I could feel my heart racing, could hear my pulse in my ears.

It was unnerving and wonderful all at the same time.

The door opened and closed with a soft click, not the way I had assumed Edward would enter his domain. That is what this is, a master in his domain. And hopefully soon, he would be my master as well. I fought the urge to look up at him as I heard him descending the stairs. His footsteps were light, and one probably wouldn't have been able to hear him coming if the room wasn't completely silent.

I could feel his presence all around me, calm yet with an edge about him.

_Could he be as nervous as I was? Surely not._

During our talk over lunch, we went over different limits and situations. He taught me about safe words and a rating scale, which we would use, to help gage my comfort in the different scenes which Edward would control. It was exhilarating and scary to be handing over my control to this man, but I trusted him.

And I was going to hold on to that trust with everything I had.

It had been 10 minutes since he had entered the room, and the anticipation was killing me. What were we going to do? When was he going to touch me?

_UGH!_

I felt his fingertips against my bare shoulders as he pushed my hair off to the side. He paused at one of the many scars that James had given to me during my captivity. I shuddered and pulled away. I knew once he saw me that he would find me repulsive.

"I know that I'm ugly . . ." I stuttered.

"Isabella!"

I stopped, and kept my eyes down, waiting for him to continue. _Shit, I angered him. _That was the last thing I wanted to do. I wanted him to want me. I wanted to please him. I wanted him . . .

"Stand and come to me."

I stood, walking over to where he was standing. I was completely ashamed of my body and at my reaction to him touching me.

He brought my eyes up, until my eyes met his. "I will say this once and only once. You are a beautiful woman with a horrific past. I promise you that I will help you through things, that I will push you when you are ready for this. We went over the rules at lunch, but I am going to add another one. You will not speak poorly of yourself. I will not tolerate you beating yourself up over it. Everything I do is for your benefit. The rules are for your benefit." He ran his finger down my spine, causing my flesh to goose bump. "I do things for your betterment and pleasure."

I realized that I was still focused on his insanely green, beautiful eyes as he chuckled softly. "I want you to consider this room the decompression room. We can talk freely in here, but I still expect for you to address me the respect you feel I deserve. Do you understand everything?"

"Yes, sir," I answered, digesting everything.

"Good. Now, put on your robe and go to my bedroom. There will be a black velvet pillow in the middle of the room. I will be there in ten minutes. You will be waiting for me in the position that we discussed at lunch."

He turned, and left me standing in the room, wanting more.

I went upstairs, with a sense of apprehension, fear, pride, confusion . . . well whatever else you could think of, I was feeling it.

I had walked up these stairs a hundred times before, but this time it was different. I was taking steps to changing my life.

I had never really spend much time on the second floor. Juliette and Edward's rooms were housed on the floor, but most of the time, unless I was tucking Juliette in, I never really had a purpose to be on this floor. I had never been in Edward's room before. His door had always been closed, nor did I ever have a need to be in his room before. But, now, he _wanted _me in his room.

This gorgeous, God-like, man wanted me. The thought was completely staggering. I shamelessly had googled Edward Cullen after I had accepted the employment with him. There were pictures of him with gorgeous women at various events, and even some pictures of him with Juliette at the park. There were stories of his breakthroughs with various drugs, however there was nothing that would let you know of the man who was truly Edward Cullen.

I pushed open the door of his bedroom and took a look around. Candles were everywhere. The lights were flickering, casting an eerily romantic glow about the room. And in the middle of the room was a king size, four-poster bed. A bed fit for a king.

At the end of the bed, there was a large, black velvet pillow with a beautiful navy blue slip.

_Beautiful,_

_Put this on and wait for me._

_-Edward_

I slipped off the robe and pulled the gown on. It hit at mid thigh, giving me some modesty, but giving Edward easy access to what he wanted.

To what I wanted.

I kneeled on the pillow, in my waiting position, for Edward to return. I took several calming breathes, repeating over and over again that this is what I needed now.

"You look beautiful, waiting for me."

I jumped slightly, hearing his voice. He had snuck up on me again.

"Tsk, tsk tsk. That is the second time I caught you off guard today. You are supposed to be working on becoming more aware of your surroundings. We will work on that."

I nodded, keeping my head bowed.

"Please stand."

I stood, with my head down. He walked toward me, and I took a peek at the man who was my boss in every single way possible. His feet were now bare, and he removed the button down he was wearing earlier. His chest was smooth, and yes, he was sporting a six pack if you must know.

_Why on earth would this man choose me?_

My self-doubt began surfacing again, as I tried to keep tight reigns on her.

_He doesn't want you thinking about yourself like that. I don't want to think about myself like that._

"What is going through your mind?"

"I'm nervous, sir," I answered truthfully.

"Of what?" He asked. His voice was husky and filled with need. I had never heard a man speak to me like that before. It was empowering.

"Truthfully, of everything, sir . . ."

"Is this what you want?"

"Yes sir, more than anything."

"Then show me. Touch me."

My breath hitched. I was expecting for him to let me take the lead, so to speak. I was expecting him to take the lead, to dominate me.

He cleared his throat, raising his eyebrow. "I don't like to be kept waiting Isabella." His tone left nothing to the imagination. I may be the one touching him, be he was the one in control of this situation.

I shook my head out of my stupor. I walked toward him, reaching out my hand to touch his abdomen. I traced the pattern of his well defined muscles, with barely there pressure.

"You are driving me crazy Isabella. I need your lips on me now!"

His voice sounded desperate. He tilted my chin up, bringing his lips down on mine. He tasted like cinnamon and mint, with a hint of citrus. And I knew that I could drown in him forever, and not care.

**EPOV:**

I walked down to the basement and saw her sitting by the bar, naked, per my instructions. _Maybe I should have waited to see her naked. _My self-restraint was good, but not that good. Her long cascading curls flowed effortlessly down her back. Her skin was flawless. Even with the scars that ran down her back, she was extremely beautiful.

I put my hands on her, and felt her shudder, pulling away from me. Under normal circumstances, that wouldn't do, but I let her have her moment. I wanted to do this with her as much as she needed this. And when I listened to her tear herself down, I knew right then that I couldn't let her do that anymore. She needed to see herself the way she was, beautiful, strong, and brave. So I added a rule, and a damn good one if I say so.

It took everything in my power to keep from taking her right there in the bar. I knew it was a bad idea to have her naked from the get go, so I back pedaled a bit, needing to get my wits about me. So, I sent her to my bedroom to wait for me.

I stood out on the balcony and grabbed my cell phone, giving Juliette a call. Nothing like a phone call to my progeny to get my thoughts under control.

"_Hi Daddy."_

"Hi Baby. Does grandma have you in bed yet?"

"_Yep. She was weading a pwincess stowy when you called."_

"That's nice Baby. Are you having a fun time with your Mom?"

"_I guess. She twied to mat missghetti, but it wasn't the same as Belwas." _She paused for a bit, so I waited for her little mind to catch up. _"Are you taking good care of Belwa?"_

"I'm trying to Baby. Now, I want you to go to bed."

"_Daddy, tuck Belwa in bed and give her a kiss for me."_

"I will Honey. I love you."

"_I love you too."_

I hung up the phone, staring out at the vast expanse of my land. One day, I would have to take Bella out to the meadow, show her were I go to escape it all. I looked at my watch, and knew that it was time for me to return to my siren.

Maybe Jasper was right.

He had warned that Bella may not be ready for this, and cautioned for me to exercise patience, something I wasn't known for in the community.

But, I would do it for her.

I didn't know why she was so special, and why I was so protective of her. But I all I knew now was that there was a beautiful woman upstairs waiting for me, so I needed to gather my wits about me fast.

It was time to continue one with the weekend.

I took the steps slowly, gearing my mind toward the weekend. It actually is very exhausting being a dom. There are so many things to take into consideration when planning scenes. Good doms do their homework, and I knew what I needed to do.

I needed to show her that she could trust me, but I had to earn her trust in the bedroom.

I asked her to show me how much she wanted this. She needed to take the initiative.

Her hand was lightly tracing the outline of my muscles, dancing softly along the planes of my back, stopping to rest on a scar on my back. It was a story, for another place, another time. I saw the question in her eyes, but I wasn't going to let her have complete control of the session. I just wanted her to trust me. It had to start somewhere. I needed to show her that I trusted her enough to trust me.

Now on to phase two.

"Strip off your gown." It wasn't a request.

She didn't hesitate. _Good. _She did want this. It pleased me immensely.

_I want her._

_I need her._

I walked around her, studying her. Her head was bowed and she kept her eyes to the ground.

"Very nice, Isabella. You are exquisite."

And she was.

"Look at me," I commanded.

I waited until her eyes met mine and was immediately struck again by the depths of her eyes. "Do you know that I caught you completely unaware of me today."

"Yes sir," she whispered, but her eyes never left mine.

"It is dangerous for you to be unaware of your surroundings and of what is around you." I shook my head. "Promise me that you will work on that."

"I promise, sir," she replied without skipping a beat.

I nodded, accepting her promise. I wasn't going to push her to hard to soon. I had waited so long to meet someone like her, that I didn't want to compromise making her scared by having to chastise her too early. But we would go over the rules.

Might as well get on with what we have to go over. If this relationship was going to work, we needed to jump right into it. I took in a deep breath, hoping, praying, that she wouldn't have a panic attack. We needed to work on her fear of being bound though if we were going to make this relationship work.

I went to my night stand and pulled out a pair of handcuffs which I had specially made for my bed.

I pulled the cuffs out of the drawer, and heard her gasp lightly. Her breathing picked up slightly, a sign of anxiety, so I decided to let her work through it. _Of course, the sight of handcuffs would bother her with her background. _This was an exercise, and needed for the nature of our relationship. We needed to start working on her fears now. I waited until she got her breathing under control before I started over to her.

Her gaze had broken from my eyes and were now firmly affixed onto the offending objects in my hand. Isabella's breathing had evened out, but her eyes widened with each step I took. It looked as if she was getting ready to retreat, when I saw her square her shoulders.

_Damn, she was trying so hard to be brave._

"I had these specially made," I explained softly. "There is no way we can go into a D/s relationship without using restraints of some kind."

She nodded, but kept quiet, waiting for me to continue.

"They are silicon coated, so it will there will be little rubbing on your wrists. There is also a safety latch, I had put in, in case you started having a panic attack, you could release the cuffs quickly." I showed her the safety device. "Do you remember your safe words?"

"Red for stop, yellow for proceed but to slow down the pace, and green for go," she replied, recalling the standard safe words for the community.

"I would also for you to use your comfort scale as well. Do you remember it as well?" I asked. I knew she would, but it was important that she vocalized this to me before we attempted this exercise.

"It's a scale from 1 to 10 sir," she answered quickly. "I for panic, 10 for comfortable."

"Good," I told her. "Now, if you want to continue with me, give me your wrists."

She closed her eyes, and hesitated. I expected this, hell, I didn't even expect to make it this far, but she had surprised me.

"I trust you, sir," Isabella's voice was strong, but soft. Her head was bowed slightly to me and her arms stretched out in front of her, even though she was trembling slightly. I nodded, knowing she couldn't see the gesture, and took her wrist in my hands, snapping the cuffs on her. I brought her hands down so they were just in front of her, and brought chin up, so her eyes would meet mine.

"How do you feel?"

"Five," she answered automatically.

Better than I expected. This woman was nothing but surprises.

"I will never cause you harm." I reassured, her placing a small kiss on the juncture of her neck and shoulder. She shuddered, causing me to smile.

She's so fucking responsive.

"How do you feel now?" I asked as my hand roamed her body. Everywhere I touched flushed or immediately had goose bumps after my ministrations.

I stood with her back to me, knowing I should have blindfolded her for this, but now wasn't the time. There was no way that a panic attack should be induced on her introduction to the D/s lifestyle. I wasn't going to allow that.

"Close your eyes," I whispered, nipping at her earlobe.

She complied in an instant and her eyelids fluttered shut. Once I was satisfied, knowing that she would in fact keep her eyes shut, I reached around to the front of her, letting my fingers dance across her breasts. Her nipples immediately pebbled in response.

"How do you feel?" I asked again, raising her arms above her head. She allowed me to position her, so that her arms were bent at the elbow, encasing both of us.

"8," she moaned as my hands started down her abdomen. She was actually very skinny, and needed to gain some weight. I would add that to her requirements.

My fingers dipped lower, seeking her warm heat.

"Spread your legs," I commanded.

She did without hesitation, and I found her clit with no difficulties. She was already wet and dripping with anticipation. _Did I mention she was so damn responsive? _I wanted to bury myself in her. She could already feel how much she affected me because of our position, but right now it was about her, about showing her that she could trust me when I put her in restraints.

"I can bring your body to incredible heights, Isabella . . ." I trailed off, letting my fingers dipped into her wet folds. She gasped, her mouth parting slightly. She started panting, needing my touch.

_That's right, I did that to you._

I worked one finger in and out of her, grazing her G-spot.

She sucked in a deep breath, holding it in anticipation. I flicked her clit causing her to cry out. I smirked, playing her body like a piano. I started pinching her nipples with my left hand, not wanting those gorgeous tits to be forgotten about. I was pulling and twisting her nipple, as I still held her steady, while making circular motions on her clit with my right hand.

She moaned out in pleasure, and pulled against her restraints, never breaking the position I put her in.

Excellent.

"Have you ever had an orgasm before?" I asked stopping my ministrations on her nipples.

"I think so . . ."

"I'll take that as a no. Trust me Isabella you would know if you had one." I nipped at her earlobe again, dragging my tongue around the outer shell of her ear. She shuddered. Another predictable, but forgotten about, erogenous zone. "Do you want one now?"

"Please," she moaned, as she pressed up against me. "Please." She begged, still keeping her eyes shut.

I wanted her to know that she had some say in the scenes I set up. I would always keep her safe and keep her needs and wants first and foremost in my mind. She needed to be more vocal.

"Relax," I whispered, immediately feeling her loosen up in my arms.

"I need more," she whimpered bucking against me, grazing my erection. She pulled against her restraints, bringing me closer to her.

_I needed more control._

"Do you trust me?"

"Yes!"

I changed positions so I could guide her to the bed. The canopy top allowed me to use one of my discarded ties, so I could extend her arms above her. I felt some resistance, and almost quit, but then she immediately slackened.

_God, she looked beautiful bond to my bed. _

I wanted to keep her there always.

I stood in front of her, reaching for her sex, noticing that she was still dripping and waiting for me. She immediately arched at the contact, moaning, pleading with her eyes shut.

I continued to stroke her insides with my fingers, hitting her g-stop, I trailed my free hand to her abdomen, holding her writhing body in place.

"Please, sir, I'll do anything," she cried out, flailing against the restraints.

"Anything?"

"Yes!" She cried again.

I slapped her sex slightly, causing her to gasp in delight and moan out in pleasure. "I will give you your release. Open your eyes. I want to see your eyes as I make you cum. . ."

Her eyes flew up, landing on mine, and as soon as I knew I had her attention. I flicked her clit and hit her g-spot again.

She arched up, pulling against the restraints and releasing her juices on my fingers. I sucked her juices off my fingers, savoring her sweet, unique taste. I looked back at her, panting as she came down from her high. Her entire body was slick with sweat and completely flushed from the session. I undid her restraints and watched as she fell limply on my bed.

I picked up her wrists and noticed that even though the cuffs weren't supposed to cause any harm, her wrists were still bore red, angry marks. It wasn't as bad as it could have been though. I took some salve from my night stand and gently rubbed the ointment on her wrists, kissing each one gently.

Her eyes fluttered open and she looked at me, really looked at me since we had started the session.

A small smile danced across her features, and her whole face lit up.

"I didn't panic." Her voice was giddy, and she sounded a little triumphant. I was proud of her.

"No you didn't. You did very well." I placed a gentle kiss on her lips, wishing that I could put more behind it. I then glanced at her state of undress, even though I was still completely dressed. I stood, reaching for my bathrobe, handing it to her. I helped her dress and held my hand out to her.

"We need to decompress. Why don't you make some tea, and meet me downstairs at the bar."

She nodded slightly, searching my face for something, what, I didn't know.

"Is there something on your mind Isabella?"

"Were you pleased with me sir?"

"Yes. You did outstanding. But we will talk more about it in a little bit."

She nodded, understanding. I turned and left her, needing a little bit of time to get my own thoughts under control so we could appropriately talk about what had conspired in my bedroom.

* * *

**AN: Sorry for the delay. I had intended on posting this earlier, but wasn't completely satisified with it. I had intentionally planned on her having a panic attack, but decided against it. She went into the relationship willingly, and had talked about bondage beforehand, so even though she may have had flashed of her time with James, it wouldn't be as traumatic.**

**Thanks for all of you that have reviewed and put this story on alert/favorites. It means so much to me (and all other authors) when we see that you appreciate what we do. We do have fun doing this for you guys!**

**Show me some love, and leave a review.**

**Thanks for reading.**

**Coming up next: They talk, Bella's thoughts.**


	13. Chapter 13

_**Chapter Thirteen**_

**BPOV:**

I went to the kitchen and started the teapot. I needed a cup to sooth my nerves which were still bouncing around with anticipation. Closing my eyes, I allowed myself to relive the last hour. Edward had been so attentive, so caring. My body responded to him in ways I didn't know was possible.

_Edward._

This man consumed my thoughts.

The teapot whistled bringing me out of my thoughts. I made two cups and made my way down to the basement. I entered and saw Edward sitting on one of the leather sofas, looking rather disheveled. It was a change from the normally put together Edward Cullen that I had gotten accustomed to.

"I brought you a cup of tea, sir."

He looked up, smiling at me. "Thank you Isabella." He took a sip, groaning appreciatively. "How are you feeling?" He asked as he patted the cushion next to him.

I sat down, appreciating the fluffy, soft, cotton robe that Edward had loaned me.

"Honestly?"

He nodded. "I want nothing from the truth from you. This is a chance for both of us to talk about the scene - situations - that our lifestyle is. With your past, I want to make sure that there is nothing that I am doing that would cause you harm. It is my job to keep you safe and to anticipate your needs," he said huskily.

"I'm fine Edward . . ."

"Your wrists still turned red."

"I pulled hard against the restraints, not out of fear, but out of ecstasy. I have never had a man bring me to such incredible heights before. If some slight discomfort from the cuffs happened, then it happened. I'm not complaining," I told him.

I reached up and touched his cheek. He leaned into my touch, kissing my hand gently. He examined my wrist again, rubbing where the red marks had been.

"I'm fine, sir," I insisted. "Never better. I do have a question though."

"Fire away," he told me, never relinquishing my hand.

"Why didn't you have me service you? You wanted to make sure that I would respond to you, what about you responding to me? I can't be a good sub for you if I can't bring you to the same heights that you can bring me to. That would be woefully unfair, sir," I told him shyly.

Without saying a word, he lifted me so I was straddling his lap. His lips attacked mine and whereas the sudden movements startled me, but I responded with fervor.

" You never have to worry about me not responding to you Isabella. The way you touched me in the room was fantastic. I was so hard just by you touching my chest. That has never happened to me before."

He took my hand and brought it down to wear the was a predominant bulge in his jeans.

_Edward Cullen was huge._

_Not just huge, but fucking huge._

While I was in awe of his cock, he had coaxed open the robe and started feasting on my breast.

I let out a cry in surprise.

"Did I catch you off guard again?" He whispered in my ear.

"Yes sir," I told him truthfully. Lying would do me no good.

He smacked my ass lightly, causing me to jump. "You need to be more aware of your surroundings Isabella. This trait could get you in trouble, and I don't want you getting hurt." He caressed where he smacked, causing wetness to pool between my legs.

His fingers grazed my clit, causing me to gasp, again.

"So wet for me again, Isabella."

"Yes sir, only for you," I whispered against his skin.

He glazed my clit again, causing me to shudder all around him. I wrapped my arms around him, trying to steady myself.

"What caused you to become so distracted a couple of moments ago?" Edward asked as he nipped at my collarbone.

"You," I told him. "Your cock, more specifically sir."

He laughed against my skin, his breath hot against me.

"I want to please you. Please give me permission to please you sir . . ." I pleaded. I wanted to bring him to the heights that he brought me to.

"Well when you ask like that, who am I to refuse you, love."

_Did he really just call me love?_

I kissed his lips, trailing down his chest. I quirked up an eyebrow, tugging at the hem of his shirt. He raised his arms, allowing me better access to his chest.

I teased his nipples with my tongue, nipping and grazing with my teeth. He moaned out in pleasure causing me to smile.

"Damn it Isabella."

I grinned, hearing his frustrations and began my next descent down to his cock.

I paused when I came to the button of his jeans. James had demanded me to take him in my mouth, something that Edward knew. This was why Edward didn't demand this of me, but I wanted to do this for him. I wanted to bring him the same amount of pleasure he brought me.

We were in this together.

I went into the relationship knowing what would be expected, needed of me.

I needed to give this to him, even though he didn't push me for it.

"Isabella, you don't have to do this for me."

"I know, which is why I want to do this for you now. Please sir, let me bring you pleasure."

He closed his eyes. "What is your level?"

"Nine sir." I unbuttoned his jeans, seeing that he was wearing Lucky Brand jeans. _Lucky me indeed._

I grabbed both his jeans and boxers and lowered them to the ground. His claves and thighs were just as toned as his chest. It shouldn't have surprised me but it did.

I eyed his cock, seeing the pre cum forming. And I was right, he was fucking huge.

"Comfort level?" He whispered, still concerned for me.

I looked up at him through my lashes. "Nine still sir."

I griped his thighs and brought my mouth to his head. I took my tongue and licked the pre cum, tasting him for the first time. Musky, yet sweet at the same time.

I swirled my tongue around his head, and brought my mouth down his shaft.

"Add some teeth," he gasped out.

I did, knowing not to add to much.

"Damn it," he hissed.

I moaned, knowing that I was bringing him some pleasure, loving the fact that I was in control and bringing this beautiful man to some pleasure. All I wanted to do was make him happy now, to give him a little of what he gave me.

I felt him reach down, and I tensed as his hand reached the back of my head.

I stilled for a second and released him. "Three . . ."

He nodded, removing his hand. He brought me back up to his lap, kissing me on the lips. I took a second to calm myself, and then I was back to my task. I wanted to bringing him to orgasm. I added teeth again and swirled around his head. I hollowed out my cheeks, allowing more suction.

_I never gave head willingly before, but with his responses, I think he is liking it._

"Isabella, I'm gonna cum. Please swallow, if you can."

I nodded, and a second later he came, hard. Long spurts of salty liquid hit the back of my throat and I swallowed quickly. I continued sucking until there was nothing left.

"You were spectacular Isabella," he whispered.

I smiled. I brought this man to orgasm. Plain Jane, me.

"You have me completely distracted Isabella. The purpose behind this room is to decompress, to talk about the session, and here we are . . ." he trailed off.

"Sorry sir," I whispered. I wasn't really sorry though.

"Don't be. I'm not. But I am completely spent, and it is close to midnight."

He picked me up, causing me to wrap my legs instinctively around his waist.

"You are sleeping in my room tonight, in my bed. I want you to be at my beck and call during the weekends and I don't want to have to climb up the stairs to get what I want."

"Okay."

"I will probably want you several more times tonight. My last submissive could bring me to orgasm several times a night. Tomorrow, we will see what you can do for me since I am completely spent by our activities today."

"Whatever you wish, sir."

"It is what I wish Isabella."

I sighed into his skin, burying myself into the crook of his neck.

I felt safe and cared for. More importantly, I felt free for the first time in several years, well even since before the attack. I never knew it could be like this.

He shifted me, opening up his now clean bedroom. I had straightened up his bed after our session in here, leaving it as pristine as it was before we started our session.

"Comfort level?" He asked as he started stripping me of his robe.

"Ten."

He raised an eyebrow, looking at me. He searched my eyes, making sure I was telling him the truth.

"You make me feel safe . . . wanted . . . needed . . ."

I was cut off my him attacking my lips. His hands roamed all over my body, as if he was memorizing every inch. He scooped me up, bridal style, and laid me on his bed.

**~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~**

**EPOV**

I looked at the woman in front of me. She was beautiful, breathing heavily sprawled out on my bed. I needed her, wanted her.

I hovered above her, feeling her pants on my overheated skin. I almost came at the sensation, almost.

The next time I came, I wanted to be buried deep inside of her, worshipping her for the woman she is.

"Do you want this?" I whispered, licking the shell of her ear.

"More than anything," she gasped as she bucked against me.

That was all the encouragement I needed. I plunged deep inside her. Closing my eyes at the sensations of being buried balls deep in this woman. I hooked one of her legs around my elbow, causing the angle to change so I could go even deeper.

"Aahh! Feels so good!"

Yeah.

I was doing that. I was bringing this beautiful, courageous woman to extreme pleasure. "You are so tight Baby. So warm, so right," I breathed.

I continued my pace, gauging her reactions, making sure she was comfortable. I didn't want to make her go to the dark place in her mind. I already came close today, by putting my hand on her head. _Stupid._ But my girl was courageous. She found her center and completed her task.

_She was a determined woman._

I felt her body begin to shake, and I knew that she was getting close to her release.

I grazed her clit with my fingers, as I pumped into her, hitting her g-spot.

"Let go Isabella," I whispered.

I wasn't going to last much longer, but I needed her to come first. This was just as much about her as it was about me.

She shook violently, her muscles clamped around me. I came a second later as her walls clamped around me. I wrapped my arms around her, and rolled her so she was on top of me. I brushed her hair out of her eyes, and kissed the tip of her nose.

Sex with her was the best I had, and that is saying a lot.

She rolled off to my side, and I pulled her closer, throwing the comforter over the top of us. She sighed as I stroked her spinal column. She shivered under my touch.

"That was great," she whispered. "I didn't think we would do anything like that."

"Have sex?" I questioned.

"Sex like that, in your bed. It seems so normal, not something that would happen in this type of relationship," she clarified.

I was quiet, wondering how to respond. This what they would call "vanilla sex," and yeah, I like doing that too.

"But, I guess if it is what you want, then I'm all for it," she reasoned out. Her fingers began dancing around my chest, as she drew lazy shapes idly. I sighed, loving the little touches she was giving me.

"Sleep, sweetheart. I know you didn't get a lot of sleep this week in between the worry you were experiencing for the weekend and with Juliette. Get some sleep now."

She yawned, confirming my suspicions. Bella was very tired.

I pulled her closer to me, dropping a quick kiss on her head, and waited for her breathing to even out. She didn't disappoint, and was asleep within moments.

She slept quietly, and I prayed that the nightmares that plagued her would stay away tonight. The first nightmare that she had the first night about broke my heart. She had actually been sleeping through more nights uninterrupted, which according to Jasper, was a sign that she was getting settled and was comfortable now in her environment.

I hoped that our activities tonight didn't do anything that would have brought back those nightmares.

She slept, pretty soundly in my arms. And for the first time, I was able to rest myself. I let my thoughts drift back to the session in the bar downstairs. I hadn't actually planned on doing anything with her in that particular room, but she needed it. She needed to prove that she could do that to me, so I let her.

Under normal circumstances of the D/s relationship, I wouldn't have allowed it, but let's face it, this isn't exactly a normal D/s relationship, now is it.

And I had called her "love," a term of endearment . . . a slip to my true feelings for her.

I wasn't going to bring it back up, and hopefully she wouldn't bring it up either.

She had shaken up my life in such a good way, that there was no way I wanted my strong feelings to be known at this point. She would freak out . . . hell I am freaking out by the thoughts. But, I didn't want to let her go.

I pulled her closer to me, seeking more from her.

She curled closer to me, "Edward . . ."

My name fell from her lips, something that wouldn't have been permissible, but she was asleep, so it was a pass.

"Edward," she moaned again.

Damn it, I was getting hard from her moaning.

I needed her again, and was hard within seconds of having my name fall from her lips.

_What was this woman doing to me?_

I glanced over at the clock, and it had been an hour since she had fallen asleep. I wouldn't have woken her up, but damn it . . .

I placed feather light kisses in between in shoulder blade, and let one hand start caressing her breast as the other one made its way down to her silky, soft, heat.

"Isabella . . ." I whispered into her ear.

She ground subconsciously into me, causing me to get even harder. I made my ministrations harder, so I would wake her from her slumber.

"Edward?" Her eyes fluttered open. "Shit, sorry, sir . . ."

I chuckled while changing our position, it was so damn cute, I wasn't going to punish that slip up. I brought my lips up to her breasts, capturing her nipple in my mouth. It had only been an hour and I was hungry for more.

I kissed her lips softly and nudge her legs open, and ran my cock along her slick opening.

She was ready as well.

"You were moaning my name in your sleep."

"Sorry sir," she apologized quickly as I slipped in.

"What were you dreaming about since you were moaning my name?"

Even in the dim light, I could tell she was blushing. _Fuck._

"What was it Isabella," I said more forcefully as I continued my rhythm, pushing further and deeper in.

"I dreamed about you . . ." she gasped.

"That's obvious, Isabella. I need specifics."

"I dreamed about you doing me doggy style, as you were playing with my breasts."

_Shit._ I was expecting that.

"Is that what you want?"

"Only if it pleases you," she panted as I grazed her clit, pinching it as I withdrew. If that is what she was dreaming about, I was going to make her dreams come true. I made her come using my fingers, and then flipped her to the right position.

Her ass was in the air, and I was positioned behind her. I ran my hand across and slapped in lightly. Her cheeks pinked up.

"It's an erotic spanking, I could make you come like this. What is your comfort level?"

"Seven."

"I won't do it tonight, right now I need to be in you and playing with those gorgeous tits . . ."

I slammed into her, and we both cried out with pleasure.

"You are so deep in me, I feel so consumed . . ."

_Right there with you babe._

I continued a frantic pace, not being able to contain myself. I knew that she was comfortable, as she hadn't safe worded or screamed out a comfort level.

I reached down and tugged on her nipples, eliciting a hiss.

"Is this better than you dream, Isabella?" My voice was husky, and I was quickly losing control.

"So much better . . ." She screamed as I pinched her clit.

She continued moaning as I slapped her ass lightly again, causing her to groan and moan.

She was dangling precariously to the edge. "I need to cum sir, please . . ."

"Hold on another minute," I was close to my release as well, and wanted to prolong this session.

"Please, please, please, please," she chanted over and over again.

"You need to learn some control," I whispered. "I'm going to cum now."

My rhythm became jerky as I grabbed on to her hips for some stability. I pinched her clit again, and she screamed out. "Cum now," I commanded.

Her orgasm intensified mine. Her walls clamped down around my already pulsating cock, squeezing and milking me in ways that had never happened before. I collapsed, flipping our slick bodies, so that she was again, on top of me.

Her breathing was erratic, and her body was flushed.

_I did that_. My inner caveman beat his chest.

I stroked her hair and kissed her forehead.

"You are a vixen Bella Swan," I whispered to her sleeping form. I had a feeling that she was going to be the death of me yet.

**AN: Holy full of Lemons Batman!**

**Yes I know, it has taken me forever to update, and truthfully it is because I have so many other story ideas floating around in my head and other things going on that I just haven't had the chance to sit down and write this.**

**I will keep this story going, and hopefully I can update more now that my life is beginning to stabilize some.**

**Anyway, review, review, review, it was actually a review that convinced me to give you guys this for the new year.**

**I was going to post a non-cannon story (Bella/Emmett - only because Kellan Lutz shirtless pictures make me happy), but because GGGHHHAAARRR67 asked so politely, I delivered.**

**So review . . . **


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